The Epic Tales
by Aysu
Summary: A collection of one shots for Epic Battle Fantasy.
1. Weapons

_**A/N:** This is the beginning of a one shot compilation fic for everything Epic Battle Fantasy! Any tidbits or omitted scenes from my other EBF story as well as some requests will be posted under this title. I'm hoping that there will eventually be a little something for everyone in here! Well, except tragedies. I don't do tragedies. _ :P

 _Warnings will be posted at the start of any chapter that needs them_ _ _as well as a rating and a brief summary of the ficlet_. Feel free to leave requests for any ideas you'd like to see written along with your reviews and I'll see what I can do! Credit for any ideas will be given and constructive criticism is always welcome!_

 _A huge thank you from me to **Matt Roszak** for creating the Epic Battle Fantasy series. I have spent so many hours playing the games and have had many laughs while doing so. You have made a gem of an RPG series! Thank you so much! ;D_

 ** _Disclaimer:_** _I do not own Epic Battle Fantasy, its worlds, its plots, its items, or its characters! They belong to Matt Roszak. I will only be borrowing these elements for the purpose of these one-shot stories, not for any monetary/physical profit on my part._

 **Title** : Weapons  
 **Summary** : One thing led to another and now they must each try to use another's weapon.  
 **Rating** : K  
 **Warnings** : None  
 **Genre** : Humor  
 **World** : EBF4  
 **Prompt from** : Sylveon0902 - _Thanks for this amazing idea and for all of your reviews on_ 'An Epic Retelling'!

* * *

It had started when the party had been discussing their favorite ways to kill monsters. Soon it turned into a bragging contest about how good each of them was with their respective weapons. Shortly after that the conversation had degenerated.

"You think getting headshots with a gun is easy? It isn't just point and shoot, you know," Lance fumed at Natalie.

The mage snorted, "All I'm saying is that using a gun to aim your magic seems like using a crutch; I bet you can't get even one spell off in the right direction without your rifle."

The gunner glared at her, "I'd like to see _you_ get a kill at 500 meters with your sparkly stick."

"My _staff_ doubles as a blunt weapon. You need a whole other tool for when your magic fails to kill a monster and they get right up next to you. Seems stupid to me," Natalie huffed.

Matt piped up, trying to diffuse the argument, "At least both of his weapons have some serious distance. Anna's bow certainly doesn't have that kind of range." He flinched when the ranger turned around to glare at him.

"You're hardly one to talk, Mr. Run-Up-and-Smack-Things-With-a-Sharp-Stick-Until-They-Die," Anna snapped.

"They're _swords_ not 'sticks'," Matt corrected Anna huffily. "Besides, they're supposed to be used in close-combat; that's where I fight."

Anna rolled her eyes, "Only because you'd have no talent with a bow! And half of your ' _swords_ ' aren't even swords! I mean, one is even called Magma _Hammer_ for Godcat's sake!"

Matt snorted and said, "Pfft, I could kill something with your bendy twig any day, but I bet you couldn't get even one swing in with one of my swords."

And so the four disgruntled challengers found a large forest clearing to prove their skills with other weapons.

First up, Lance bowed mockingly to Natalie before he pulled his Shadow Blaster rifle off of his back and handed it over to the mage. Natalie grabbed the weapon and staggered, bending backwards as Lance let go of the heavy gun. The mage ignored the sniggering coming from Lance and struggled to lift the rifle onto her shoulder as she had seen the gunner do many times.

"Any day now," Lance called from where he leaned against a tree, faking a yawn.

Natalie spared a glare in the gunner's direction as she finally heaved the gun up and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. The mage blinked in confusion and pulled the trigger again—still no blasts. "I think it's broken, Lance," Natalie said. The gunner's only reply was a mocking laugh. Finally, Natalie remembered that this was the weapon Lance launched his magic attacks out of and pushed some mana into the gun. The weapon vibrated and heated up slightly before there was a blast. Then there was black.

Natalie came to lying flat on her back with Anna playing healing magic on her ocarina and Matt hovering over her with a worried frown. The mage sat up slowly to see a smoking hole in the canopy of the trees. A slow clapping came from behind her and she turned to see Lance smirking as he sarcastically applauded Natalie.

"Good job: those evil leaves won't be a threat to us now. Next time try aiming," the gunner said. He pulled out his gunblade and spun the weapon around to hand to Natalie by the hilt. He grinned as he said, "Now, let's see how you do with this."

Natalie's face was burning at her complete failure with the rifle as she snatched the gunblade from Lance. The mage was pleased to note that this weapon was far lighter than the rifle had been; it was still heavier than her staff, but she could lift it with relative ease. She raised the weapon up and pointed it at an idol that had come out to check what was burning. She pulled the trigger and frowned when nothing happened.

Lance called over in a superior tone, "Whoops, I forgot to load it. I'm sure your fancy magic will be able to solve that, though. Or would you like me to load the gun for you?"

Natalie gritted her teeth as she hissed, "Just come load the stupid thing."

Lance cupped his ear and leaned towards her, "What was that?"

"I said come over here and load the stupid thing!" Natalie snapped loudly.

"Can I get a 'please'?" the gunner asked with a grin.

Acid dripped from Natalie's voice as she said, "Please come load this stupid gunblade, Lance."

Lance considered pestering the irate mage further, but decided against it as Natalie looked about two seconds away from stabbing him with his own weapon, "Very well, since you asked so nicely." He stepped over to the mage's side and loaded a bullet into the chamber of his gunblade before stepping back again. He waved his hand at the idol that stood there watching the strange happenings.

Natalie leveled the gunblade, pulled the trigger, and went flying back from the recoil. She heard a yelp from Matt and hoped that she hadn't accidentally hit him. Sitting up and shaking her head, Natalie looked over and sighed with relief as she saw the bullet had missed Matt. It had been a near thing though; there was a small hole next to the swordsman's head. Matt was leaning away and staring at the bullet lodged in the tree with a pale face. Natalie flinched as Lance spoke up again.

"I suppose tricking your enemies into thinking you're on their side is a viable option. Not many monsters would fall for it, though," he said with a smirk. His smile faded as the mage held out her Crystal Staff for him to take.

"Let's see how you do without a gun, then," Natalie said with a smirk similar to the gunner's own.

Lance stood away from the tree and grabbed the weapon. Immediately, he could feel the magic enhancing enchantment on the staff and he began to have doubts about whether he had good enough control to use it.

Natalie gave an impatient huff, "C'mon, it isn't like you need to load the thing, or whatever. Take a shot at that idol."

Swallowing his doubts and ignoring the snickering from Matt and Anna, Lance held the staff in his right hand and pointed it at the monster—well aware of how ridiculous he looked. Nothing happened, so the gunner pointed the staff again and shook it slightly. Natalie chuckled from behind him. With a growl, Lance pointed the staff one more time and forced mana into the weapon. A spark of lightning arced out of the crystal on top and zapped the gunner.

"Shock the enemy, Lance, not yourself," Natalie called unhelpfully with a snicker.

Lance turned to glare over his shoulder at the smirking mage before returning his attention to the idol that was hopping closer. He sighed and tried forcing less mana into the staff, but was shocked with lighting again, this time stunning himself. The idol bounced right up next to him and slammed itself into his jaw. The gunner saw stars and heard Natalie roaring with laughter before he fell back, unconscious.

Tears of mirth streamed down Natalie's cheeks as she watched as Lance was defeated by the Wooden Idol. Matt called out a warning and she wiped her eyes to see that the idol was tottering towards her next. She stood up and hefted Lance's gunblade as her staff was across the clearing next to the unconscious Lance. As she raised the weapon over her head for a slash, the extra weight sent her stumbling backwards and the idol seized the opportunity to smack into the mage's stomach, knocking her back into the tree where she blacked out.

Anna and Matt stared at their fallen companions in disbelief.

"I can't believe they both lost to that thing," Anna muttered, signaling for the idol to stop attacking.

Matt shrugged and unsheathed his Heaven's Gate, sticking it into the ground for the ranger to use. He then held out his hand for her bow, "I bet I can kill it with that bow, let me see it."

The ranger snorted and passed her weapon, Sky Feather, and one arrow over. She then watched with a grin as Matt stepped forward with the worst form she had ever seen. The swordsman pulled back the arrow easily enough, but when he let it go, he yelped as the string slapped his arm and left a long welt behind. The arrow flew off into the bushes, completely missing the Idol that was three feet in front of him. The small wooden creature bounced forward towards its attacker. Matt grabbed the bow at one end and swung it like a club at the creature. The slender stick did practically nothing to the idol. Matt tensed in preparation for the upcoming blow; seconds later he was out.

Anna flinched as she watched Matt swing her beloved bow at the monster, but didn't say anything. She watched with a small grin as the idol took out the swordsman before frowning as it turned on her. The creature ignored the ranger's commands for to stop advancing.

Seeing as the monster wasn't freezing like it should, and that it stood between her and her usual weapon, Anna grabbed the hilt of Heaven's Gate and tugged. She frowned as the sword didn't budge. She grabbed it with both hands and heaved back on the blade as the idol tottered closer. With trembling arms, Anna felt the sword slide up half in an inch before she was forced to let it drop again. " _How the heck does he swing this thing? It weighs a ton!_ " Anna wondered, frantically watching the idol get closer. "Well, this is embarrassing," the ranger said a split second before the creature clocked her jaw and she fell unconscious.

Hours passed and the sun was setting when the four friends awoke. They each sat up rubbing various bruises. Natalie groaned as she stood up, clutching her sore stomach as she stumbled for where her Crystal Staff still lay in the grass and cast a quick Heal More spell on the party. With a round of sighs, they each gathered their weapons.

"Today we learned not to insult each other's weapons," Natalie sighed.

Matt snorted, "And that bows hurt." He rubbed his arm where the welt from the bow string had been.

"And that Matt's sword is stupid heavy," Anna muttered.

"I cannot believe we all lost to one Wooden Idol," Lance grumbled, "Let's agree never to speak of this again." There were nods all around as the party set off again.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** There you go, Sylveon! I hope this was at least sort of what you were looking for!_

 _ **A few rules for requests:  
1) **__**_One actual review per request, please!_** I am much less likely to write your idea if you just demand a fic without any feedback on at least one of the stories posted here. I spend a lot of time on each piece and would like your honest thoughts (constructive criticism, what you liked/didn't like, something that surprised you, etc.)._  
 _ **2) Requests for a tragedy or a lemon/porn/sex scene/whatever you want to call it will be refused.** I don't like tragedies and am very uncomfortable with the idea of writing sex for the sake of sex._  
 _ **3)** **Writing takes time so please be patient!** If you have an account open to Private Messaging, then I will tell you if I like your idea and plan to write it. Or, conversly, if I don't plan on writing the request ever, I will tell you so as well as a reason why.  
 **4)** **I will always be polite when I message you and I would appreciate the same courtesy back.** No one likes to be blatantly insulted and I am no different. Remember that we are all human beings here, even if we never see each other._

 _Please keep these rules in mind when/if you request a story._


	2. Early Days

_**A/N:** This is just a little... character study, I guess? The idea had been swimming in my head for awhile and I wrote it down shortly after posting the first one shot. _

**Title:** Early Days  
 **Summary:** Natalie is trying to puzzle out their team's newest addition: Lance.  
 **Rating:** K+  
 **Warnings:** Mild violence  
 **Genre:** Friendship  
 **World:** Post EBF2, but Pre EBF3

* * *

Lance was a new dynamic to the group that made Natalie uncomfortable. The mage wasn't entirely sure why she had agreed to let the gunner join their team. Looking back over the whole ordeal they had gone through to stop Lance's world take over made the decision make even less sense. She understood letting the young man live, but having him join their team? " _It must've been the beer party we had to celebrate beating him,_ " Natalie mused, " _I was probably tipsy when I said 'yes' to Matt._ "

The mage wished she hadn't said yes, though. Matt was weird, but at least she'd known him for long enough to understand his quirks; she even found most of them endearing. Lance, however, was a complete mystery, and one Natalie wasn't so sure she wanted to solve. He almost never smiled, for one. In fact, the gunner hardly expressed any emotions besides a smirk when he killed something. The man was practically a robot. He didn't seem to understand some of the things she and Matt said or did, especially if they were a spontaneous reaction to some situation. Lance's eyes would briefly flash with some strange emotion only for whatever the feeling was to be smothered under his usual icy mask a second later. Natalie idly thought that he almost looked curious.

In combat, Natalie readily admitted that the gunner was a welcome addition to the team. On top of being a heavy artillery specialist, Lance could also use a strange weapon he called a gunblade—which was exactly what its name suggested— and he had a brilliant tactical sense. Matt and Natalie had swiftly found out that when Lance gave a suggestion in combat for positioning or pointed out an enemy's potential weakness, he was normally spot-on. The gunner's direction in combat led to a drastic decrease in wounds the party received while fighting and his ability to fight at close and long range were invaluable. The only thing Lance didn't do well was checking on his team mates if they got hit. He would continue attacking the enemy and didn't let up until whatever they were fighting was dead. Then, he would stand off to the side and silently watch as Natalie patched up whatever was hurt or broken. If Lance was the one injured, he would give Natalie a brusque ' _thanks_ ' before shifting away. Natalie wondered if he even cared about her and Matt's wellbeing. Given the fact that they had stopped his world conquest, she was inclined to think not.

" _At least he's good at fighting._ _Now if only he didn't seem like a moving ice sculpture emotion-wise,_ " Natalie thought as she chatted with Matt while waiting for their food to cook one evening. The gunner had just finished cleaning his gunblade and was now silently staring at the pair laughing and joking on the other side of the camp fire, his expression unreadable. That was another thing the mage realized; Lance never stood or sat near them unless it was in combat. Anytime Matt offered a seat next to them, Lance would hesitate briefly before he shook his head and settled down somewhere nearby, but not right next to them. Natalie didn't know what to think of that any more than she knew what to think of his offering to take first watch every night.

Natalie watched Lance closely as they traveled. She was fairly sure that the gunner knew she was staring, even though he never once looked her way; at least, not that she saw. Matt constantly spoke with Lance while they walked. His chatter ranged from random comments about the things they passed to asking questions about Lance himself. The gunner readily responded to the swordsman on anything except his history with a flat voice and cold expression. Lance's comments on fighting, monsters, and his teammates showed that he had a twisted sense of humor that Natalie didn't always agree with, but Matt certainly enjoyed. The only things they ever got about the gunner himself were how he had gotten his robot army and occasional vague tidbits of his childhood from the taunts he sometimes threw at weak enemies. The snippets painted a rather disturbing picture, but the mage never asked the gunner about them. Anytime she tried speaking with Lance she felt awkward and the gunner closed off even more than usual shortly after the conversations started. Natalie wondered why Lance seemed mostly okay talking with Matt, but not her.

The three had been a team for a little over a month and still Natalie was no closer to figuring out what to make of Lance. During the past few days, the gunner seemed edgy especially around Natalie and the mage wondered if he was planning on betraying them. The party was walking along an overgrown trail through a forest; Lance kept throwing weird looks at Matt and Natalie. Suddenly, two Giant Veggie Slimes oozed off of trees on either side of their group followed by a few smaller slimes. The gunner immediately shifted from edgy to collected as he directed Matt to deal with the enemies behind them. Lance used his gunblade in tandem with Natalie's magic, and together they took down the monsters blocking the way forward. The pair turned around to find that Matt had vanished along with the Giant Veggie Slime he had been fighting. Natalie panicked as she gazed around, trying to see or hear where the swordsman had disappeared to. She whipped around at rustling sound to see Lance walking off the trail they had been following, heading into the thick foliage of the forest.

"You're just going to ditch Matt?" Natalie shouted after the gunner in disbelief. "I knew you were planning to betray us; you've been so jumpy the last few days!"

Lance stopped and his shoulders stiffened as he replied quietly, "I know you don't trust me, Natalie, but I'm following a trail to find Matt. That Slime he was fighting was big enough to fold around him; it probably carried him off."

The mage's anger deflated only to be replaced with suspicion, "Why do you care if Matt gets eaten?"

The gunner turned and looked about to say something before he seemed to change his mind with a minute shake of his head. Finally, he said, "I would never be able to look at myself in the mirror if one of the people who beat me was killed by a Slime."

" _That's_ your reason?" Natalie said incredulously. She wondered what Lance had decided not to say.

"One of them, anyway," Lance muttered, "Also, I refuse to let a party member die on my watch."

The mage blinked as shame filled her, "Oh."

"Since I seem to make you so uncomfortable, I'll be leaving after we find Matt," the gunner said, continuing onward along the slime trial left behind by the monster.

"You don't need to do that," Natalie said as she caught up to Lance. The gunner said nothing in reply, but his tense shoulders relaxed slightly. The jumbled puzzle pieces in the mage's head symbolizing the mystery that was Lance began to fall into place and make some sense. The sudden progress she had made was shattered a moment later when the gunner whipped around, fluidly loading and raising his gunblade through the motion. He aimed the weapon at Natalie's head and she gave a small shriek as he fired, " _Lance?!_ "

A few seconds later, the mage opened her eyes to see Lance staring at her with wide eyes. A rustle came from behind the mage and she shakily turned in time to see a wraith cloak drift to the ground. She turned her stare back to the gunner to find that he was already turning away, back and shoulders tense again. The puzzle that had been briefly shattered fit back together again, this time with a few more pieces in place. The mage stepped up next to Lance and gave him a smile. The gunner said nothing and didn't return the look, but he relaxed once more. Natalie fit the last pieces of the puzzle together.

Lance stopped suddenly and held up his hand to halt Natalie's progress. He pointed through the bush in front of them and the mage leaned forward to peer through the branches. Almost immediately, she spotted Matt thrashing around, suspended in the middle of the Giant Veggie Slime from before. Unfortunately, the slices the swordsman made in the monster merely fused back together again, sustaining the gelatinous prison surrounding him.

The gunner leaned down to softly speak in Natalie's ear, "I want you to cast a weak ice spell on the Slime. If you harden its body enough, Matt can bust out. I'll run interference while you cast, okay?"

Natalie nodded firmly before following behind Lance as he stepped into the small clearing. While the gunner distracted the Slime, Natalie worked on freezing the monster's body. It took a few tries, but the creature finally froze enough for Matt to slash his way free. Lance finished the monster off with a Plasma Shot from the rifle on his back.

"Ugh, salad-flavored jello," Matt grumbled, spitting on the ground. After the swordsman had gotten the taste out of his mouth, he threw a grateful look at Lance and Natalie, "Thanks for saving me, guys."

The gunner said nothing, but Natalie grinned widely, "Lance is the one who deserves the thanks. He found the trail and came up with the plan to get you out; I just did what he said. I trust that if I had been the one stuck, he would have worked something else out to get me free, though." She smiled at the taken aback look on Lance's face as she said that. Her smile widened as the gunner's look of surprise morphed into a slight grin—the first one Natalie had ever seen from him.

The mage had more or less figured out their third party member. She doubted that Lance had had much human interaction before joining up with her and Matt, which explained his strange responses to certain things. He definitely cared about what happened to his party members in battle—it showed in his single-mindedness when killing foes. And finally, he had been wary of her because she had been wary of him. The mage was willing to bet that Lance saw her and Matt as friends, but was uncomfortable admitting that fact. Natalie was sure that there were more things to learn about her teammate, but what she had figured out so far was enough for now.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** I really like Lance as a character; although, I'm probably best at writing for Matt. Anyway, I hope you all liked this. Please leave me a review!_


	3. A New Team

**Title:** A New Team  
 **Summary:** A story of how and why Matt and Natalie started traveling together.  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Warnings:** Mild blood, very mild suggestive themes  
 **Genre:** Friendship  
 **World:** Pre-Battle Royale

* * *

Matt staggered through a forest by leaning against one tree for a few moments before pushing off to make his way to another one close by. His breath came in sharp gasps as he made his way towards a small village he knew was just on the other side of woods. He had heard there was a talented healer there, and after his latest tangle with a pack of wolfdogs, he really needed one. Blood-stained bandages had been hastily wrapped around a deep bite wound on his torso. Every tree he leaned against was left with a thick smear of blood. Matt paused while leaning against a tree as the world seemed to dip sideways. With a long and low groan, he pushed away from the trunk only to fall back against it and slide slowly to the ground. The clattering of his sword falling from his grip came to his ears. He blinked hazily as the sunlight seemed to dim.

" _Sundown already, huh? I guess I'll just rest here until the morning,_ " Matt thought. His eyes slid shut even as warning bells started ringing in the back of his mind. A sudden rustling roused him slightly to check what was there. He pried his eyelids open just a crack to see an orange blur at the end of a darkening tunnel before everything went black.

 **OOOOOO**

Natalie stepped lightly through the undergrowth of the woods near her home village. She had a basket hooked over one arm half-filled with various herbs she had picked to make tonics and pastes, and a leather messenger bag of emergency supplies over her other shoulder. The sun was at its height and the birds sang in the trees while a lazy breeze wove through the foliage. All in all, it was a pleasant late summer day. The healer took a deep breath of the clean woodland air with a happy smile before she knelt down to pluck some Thyme leaves. She sighed as she sorted through the plants, looking for leaves that were not bug-eaten or wilted.

While she worked, Natalie thought back to her place in the village. She'd lived in the quiet hamlet, working as a healer, for almost as long as she could remember. Healing was her talent, but she wanted to get out and see the world beyond her village and the surrounding forest. "Besides," Natalie muttered, "ever since that guy, Daniel, showed up, people have been going to him—not me." She assumed it was because she was so young. People didn't like being told how to handle their health by a seventeen-year-old; never mind that she had been right each and every time.

With a sigh, Natalie stood up—her herb basket stuffed full—and began to make her way home. She had almost made it back to the village when she heard a groan come from nearby. Freezing, the healer glanced around, wondering if it was some monster hunting for food. As she stood there listening, she heard a dull scraping sound followed by a metallic clatter. " _Probably not a monster, then,_ " Natalie mused. She pushed through some bushes and started at the sight of a young man with long blond hair slumped against a tree with a bloodied sword lying next to him. A trail of blood was smeared on the trunk he was leaning against; and several other trunks as well, Natalie was shocked to note. The man stirred slightly at her appearance, but passed out, and fell sideways with a dull thud. Snapping into action, Natalie dashed forwards and fell to her knees next to the wounded swordsman. Setting her basket nearby, she reached out and set two fingers on his neck, feeling for a pulse. With a sigh of relief, she felt that his heart was still beating, albeit unsteadily.

The healer's face set in determination, and she rolled the young man to lie on his back. Opening the bag at her side, she pulled out a flask of a clear liquid, a clean rag, some bandages, a jar of antiseptic cream, and a small knife and spread them on a piece of cloth. Natalie set to work slicing off the shirt and the bloody bandages that had been haphazardly wrapped around her patient's torso. The healer let out a small hiss as the bloody bite mark was revealed. She uncorked the lid of the flask and poured some onto the rag. Carefully, she cleaned the congealed blood away from the wound. Fresh crimson liquid began to ooze from the deep punctures as Natalie swiftly applied a liberal amount of cream before pressing a pad of bandage against them. Next, she carefully applied a temporary adhesive strip to hold the bandages in place.

Sitting back, Natalie looked over the young man and wondered how the heck she would move him to her house. She definitely wasn't strong enough to lift him, and they couldn't stay here—monsters were likely to show up. Finally, Natalie resolved to run to the village and get some help from her neighbor to haul him back on a litter. Nodding, the healer stood up and glanced down at the unconscious swordsman. "I'll be right back," she promised him before racing down to the village.

Natalie skidded to a halt at her neighbor's door and pounded against it with her fist. A few seconds later the door swung open and Natalie was rapidly explaining what she needed. The man's face shifted from irritation to worry and he promised to be right over. Natalie thanked him before running to her house to snag the litter she kept there for emergencies. Soon she, her neighbor, and her neighbor's son were in the woods, loading the wounded blond onto the litter and hauling him back. The two men helped move Natalie's patient from the litter to a bed in her house. The healer thanked them profusely and promised to stop by later with some gold as payment. Shutting the door behind the two, Natalie turned to the young man lying on the bed. She washed her hands and changed the temporary bandage to more permanent bindings and washed her hands again. She then dragged a chair over, and sat down at her patient's bedside.

"At least he's resting peacefully," Natalie mused, "Although, I guess there's still a risk of infection. I don't know how long ago he got that wound." A few hours later and the healer temporarily broke her vigil to start some dinner. Digging through her supplies, Natalie decided soup would be good. Especially if the swordsman woke up; he'd need something healthy to eat. Ten minutes later saw her humming as she sliced vegetables and meat, throwing them into the broth. Soon the smell of cooking food filled the house and Natalie left the pot there to simmer. Knowing that it would take some time to cook, she checked in on the swordsman, before filling a small pouch with some gold and heading next door to pay her neighbors for their help.

The man smiled as Natalie thanked him again, but only took half of the money she offered, and only after she insisted. He asked about how the young man was doing and frowned sympathetically when he was informed that the swordsman was still out. She bid them good night and headed home.

Smiling, Natalie opened her front door only to have her smile face wiped clean when she saw the bed that the young man had been resting in was empty. A thud came from the hall leading to her kitchen. The healer shut the front door behind her and rushed into the hall the see the young blond collapsed on the floor. Natalie shut her eyes and released a small sigh of relief before reopening them and striding over to her fallen patient. "You shouldn't be up yet," she scolded, snorting as the blond flinched in surprise. She knelt down and pulled one of his arms over her shoulder, "C'mon, let's get you back in bed."

 **OOOOOO**

Matt woke up lying in a soft bed in an unfamiliar house. He blinked up at the wooden ceiling for a few seconds before turning his head to look around. Bunches of drying, and already dried, herbs hung from the rafters, and there were shelves along the walls lined with bottles and jars of various contents and liquids. "Must be the healer's house," Matt mused aloud in relief. He glanced down at his bare chest and spotted the clean bandage wrapped firmly around the bite wound. A light sheet was pulled up to his waist. Thinking back, he remembered seeing an orange blur before passing out, and realized that someone had found him, and brought him here. Glancing around again, Matt frowned as he realized he couldn't see or hear anyone before shrugging, and assumed the healer had gone out briefly.

Suddenly, the swordsman became aware of the distinct smell of something delicious cooking, causing his mouth to water and his stomach to growl. Matt sat up slowly, mindful of the bandages around his torso, and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He hesitated for a few seconds, wondering if he should be trying to stand just yet. A strong waft of soup passing his nose made the decision for him. Matt pushed himself to his feet, and almost fell straight back down again. Bracing himself on the side table next to his bed, he steadied himself and slowly made his way over to the hallway with the delicious smell coming down it.

He was halfway down the hall when he was distracted by the sound of a door opening. That moment of lapse in concentration was all it took for his legs to give out, and he fell to the floor with a flash of pain flaring from the wound on his stomach. Matt heard a door close followed by light footsteps hurrying towards him. Not wanting to risk aggravating his wound, the swordsman lay there and listened as whoever was there—probably the healer—sighed in relief. A second later he started as a young woman scolded him for being up. Matt felt a small hand grab his arm and wrap it around a pair of thin shoulders. With surprising strength the girl helped heave him off of the floor and led him back to the bed.

Matt stared at the orange haired girl, recognizing her as the blur he had seen just before passing out. He stared all the way back to the bed and after he was laid down again. He stared at her she carefully checked the bandages wrapped around him and _tsked_. He kept staring until she gave him a weird look and asked him to stop gaping and sit up so she could change the wrappings. Matt closed his jaw with a snap and flushed a brilliant red. He did as she asked and watched in mute fascination as the young girl peeled away the old bandages, applied some kind of cream, and rewrapped the wound with swift efficiency.

Carefully, Matt lay back again and watched as the girl gathered up the dirty bandages and headed down the hall. There was a splashing sound followed by some clattering, and the girl came back with two bowls of steaming soup. Matt accepted one of the bowls and mumbled a thank you. He stuffed a spoonful in his mouth and yelped as the liquid burned his tongue.

"Careful! Blow on it before you eat it," the orange haired girl sitting next to him commanded.

Matt nodded and did as she had suggested, feeling slightly stupid for not thinking of how hot fresh soup is. The pair ate quietly, and for the next few minutes the only sounds were the scraping of spoons on bowls and slurping. Matt handed his empty bowl over and settled back against the headboard to watch as the girl stacked the two bowls neatly and began stringing fresh herbs for drying. Still, nothing was said.

"So, you're the healer here?" Matt finally asked, unable to take the silence any longer. He watched in confusion as the girl paused in her work briefly before continuing with a nod. The swordsman frowned at the silence and tried to spark conversation a different way, "Huh, you aren't exactly what I was expecting." He flinched as the girl dropped the herbs and spun around to glare at him.

"Figures, you're just like everyone else around here. It's always the same," she spat. Matt shrank back and stared as she started imitating various people, "' _You should be at the soup kitchen, dear'_ or, ' _where's the real healer?'_ or, _'what does some little girl know about healing?'_ If my being a healer is such a problem to you, then you can go! I'm sure the other doctor down the street would be happy to see you." She pointed to her door, blue eyes snapping with anger.

" _Obviously, that was the wrong thing to say,_ " Matt thought, eyeing her warily. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you mad. I was just looking for something to talk about," he mumbled. "I'll go now, if want. I can probably make it to the next town alright." The swordsman started sliding to the edge of the bed. He swayed slightly as he stood up and pulled out his money, "Thanks for saving me in the woods. How much do I owe you?"

 **OOOOOO**

Natalie blinked in surprise before flushing in shame. This stranger was the first person to apologize to her in months, and right after she had yelled at him. Now he was looking ready to collapse with a bag of gold in his hand and thanking her after she had potentially sent him to his death. "Why go to the next town? There is another healer here who's older and supposedly more qualified," she asked in confusion.

The young man's face was pale as he shrugged, "Obviously, you've been treated pretty badly here. I don't want to go see somebody who lets that kind of thing go on. So, how much is it?"

Natalie blinked and shook her head in amazement, " _By the heavens, he looks serious about that._ " Stepping forward, she gently pushed the wounded man to lie back down, "No, stay and recover. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have taken my frustrations out on you." She pulled the blanket back up over his legs. Going back to her abandoned herbs, she continued threading them for drying. "I live alone here so I forget how quiet it is," she said, glancing over at the blond who had returned to staring at her. "What's your name, if you don't mind my asking?"

"It's alright," he replied hesitantly. "My name's Matt, What's yours?"

Natalie finished stringing the herbs and pulled a stool over to stand on to hang them from the rafters. Hopping back down, she sat in the chair next to the bed, "My name is Natalie. How'd you get that bite on your stomach?"

"Got on the wrong end of a seven strong wolfdog pack," Matt said with a shrug. He blinked at her stunned expression, "What?"

Natalie shook her head in amazement, "You fought _seven_ wolfdogs alone and only got one bite? That's amazing! I can probably only get two, tops, with my magic, and it wouldn't be with only one injury."

Matt grinned, "Well, to be fair, it was a pretty bad bite. I wouldn't recommend tackling any more than three monsters alone, and that depends on the monster." He gestured at his torso and the various herbs around the room, "I'm impressed with how much you know about herbs and how quickly you redid my bandages. That's way too much for me to remember." He blinked, "Wait, you can use magic, but you heal with herbs? Why?"

The healer shrugged, "I haven't had enough practice with healing magic, but I've been learning plants and their effects for years. I had only just started learning to heal with magic when the new doctor moved into town. All my usual customers started seeing him, and now I only deal with emergency cases I come across, like yours; not exactly the best times to be fooling around with spells." Natalie sighed, "I'm going to have change professions—I don't make enough money like this anymore." She shuddered, "Or get a rich boyfriend. Gods know there are enough of those lined up wanting me for my boobs."

"Why not move to another town?" Matt asked her with a frown, and doing his best to avoid suddenly staring at Natalie's chest.

"Money, mostly," the healer said with a shrug. "Plus, I doubt other towns would be any more receptive to a seventeen year old healer then this place is." She smiled wistfully, "I want to become an adventurer, and travel around, but my magic isn't nearly good enough, and I'm horrible with all manners of blades." Her smile faded with a sigh, "Oh, well; maybe when I get better with magic."

By this point, Matt was slowly nodding off, but he mumbled, "You should travel with me. I could use some company when…"

Natalie smiled as Matt's half-awake offer trailed off into light snoring. She stood and pulled the blanket at his waist up to his chin. The healer then headed for her own bedroom with a yawn. Crawling under her own blanket, she wondered what traveling around and fighting monsters all the time would really be like. It seemed like it was exciting, if dangerous work, but she doubted that Matt would even remember offering that when he woke up the next day. " _It was sweet of him to say that, though_ ," Natalie mused with a small smile before she fell asleep.

 **OOOOOO**

Over the next few days, Matt recovered in leaps and bounds. During that time, he never mentioned his half-awake offer to have Natalie join him in his adventures. The healer tried not to be disappointed by that, telling herself that it was what she had expected. She realized she was going to miss having Matt around all the time. The swordsman was cheery, always smiling, and always wanting to talk. It was a nice change, having somebody around who didn't disparage her work based on her gender or age. Plus, he was very cute; although, the healer would never tell him that.

Finally though, Natalie announced that the swordsman was good to travel. She spent the rest of the day getting a little food together for the start of his journey. She packed a spare blanket for Matt along with the food and a box of matches for fires. She also packed a small jar of healing ointment for any minor scrapes and a roll of bandages. Handing the bag over to Matt, Natalie tried not to cry as she told him goodbye.

"I'm going to miss you. Be careful, okay?" She said, giving the swordsman a quick hug. She pulled away to see a confused look on the blonde's face.

"Why would you miss me?" Matt asked her in confusion. His face suddenly fell, "You mean you don't want to adventure with me?" he blinked at Natalie's suddenly shocked face and waved his hands in front of him, "I-I mean, it's okay; you don't have to come along! I just thought that since you seemed so unhappy here and wanted to travel-"

Natalie cut him off with a peal of bright and surprised laughter, "I thought you weren't serious about that! I'd love to travel with you!" Her face fell slightly, as doubt reared its ugly head, "Maybe I shouldn't, though. I think I'd just get in the way. After all, my magic isn't that good."

Matt grinned widely, "You can already take down two monsters on your own, right? That's pretty good, you just need more practice! Besides, I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities to learn better healing along the way." His smile took on a hopeful look as he held out his hand, "So… teammates?"

The mage stared at Matt for a few seconds before her face split into a beaming smile. She grabbed the proffered hand and shook it as she replied, "Teammates. Although, I don't know what I'm going to do with my house on such short notice."

"Eh, just post a 'free house' sign on the lawn. I'm sure they'll figure it out," Matt said with a shrug.

Natalie rolled her eyes with a grin, "I don't think it works like that, Matt. I'll give it to my neighbor and tell him he can do what he wants with it and all the stuff inside."

An hour later and Natalie was packed for travel. The pair headed next door and told the healer's neighbor of her offer. The man was surprised, but when Natalie explained why, he gave her a huge smile, thanked her profusely, and wished her the best of luck on her adventures. He gave Matt a stern look and told him to take care of Natalie before wishing him luck as well. The man watched the pair walk down the road and out of sight with a slightly sad smile. Natalie had been an excellent healer and always so polite to her patients; he would miss her a lot now that she was gone. Matt the swordsman had become a popular guest to the village with his cheerful, if sometimes slightly clueless demeanor.

 **OOOOOO**

"So, where to now?" Natalie asked Matt with a bright smile.

The swordsman sent a grin back at his new teammate, "I hear there are a lot of monsters to the west so let's go there. Lots of monsters means lots of loot, after all!"

And so the first of their many epic quests began.


	4. Lance's Past

**Title:** Lance's Past  
 **Summary:** A character study on why Lance acts the way he does.  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Warnings:** Spoilers for EBF2, Child abuse, Mild blood  
 **Genre:** General/Character Study  
 **World:** Pre EBF2 to end of EBF2  
 **Prompt From:** mysteriousguy898 - Thank you for all of your amazing reviews on my writing! :3

* * *

"Assemble!" a loud voice bellowed from downstairs.

A boy of thirteen years jolted and sprang up, abandoning the magazine he had been reading, to go shooting out of his bedroom. His shaggy red hair flew wildly as he sprinted down the stairs, leaping the last three, and skidded into the living room. The teen snapped to stand at perfect attention—back straight, feet together, eyes staring straight ahead, hand raised in a sharp salute—as he awaited whatever the man wanted. He held his breath, hoping he had managed to get here in time and followed the 'protocol' to his father's satisfaction. For a few seconds, there was silence. The boy could see his where his father sat in a large wingback armchair, wearing an old military uniform. The man's cold, red eyes were intently fixed on his son, inspecting the salute.

"Excellent work, Lance," the man finally said in a cold, but pleased tone, "You got here in just shy of ten seconds and your form is perfect." He rose to stand in front of the statuesque Lance, towering over the teen.

Lance breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed, arm dropping to his side. His father tended to get… unpleasant, when Lance failed to achieve perfection. A split second later, a fist smacked the side of his head and the teen stumbled sideways, one hand rising to cover the forming bruise. Lance's wide red eyes sought out his father's matching ones in confusion as he wondered, " _What did I do wrong?_ " Thinking rapidly, he went over his actions just prior to the hit. Stiffening, Lance snapped back to attention.

"Permission to speak, sir?" the teen asked, his voice slightly trembling.

The man surveyed the renewed salute with satisfaction, "Permission granted."

Lance maintained the salute, staring forwards, "I apologize for coming to rest without express permission, sir."

"At ease," his father said before turning to settle back in his chair.

With an inward sigh of relief, Lance relaxed his stiff posture to a more comfortable, but still attentive stance; his arms were held at his sides and his feet shifted to a slightly wider placement. The fact that his father had returned to sitting meant the oversight had been forgiven—for now. " _Now, I just hope he doesn't punish me, anyway,_ " Lance thought, watching his father. His hopes were dashed with the next statement.

"Your punishment for not following protocol is half rations for the rest of the week," the man said, turning his impassive gaze on the teen standing before him, "Is that understood?"

Lance fought to keep from complaining or allowing his hands to clench into fists at the unfairness. " _It was a slight error!_ " he wailed in his mind, thinking of his already small portions getting even smaller for a week. He knew the argument would result in an even greater punishment and being lectured on the same things as always: ' _Slight errors are all it takes to be killed on the battlefield,_ ' and ' _If you aren't punished, what's to stop the behavior from continuing?_ ' At least he'd already had dinner. Despite his internal war, the teen's face remained blank as he nodded, "Yes, sir."

The man nodded in satisfaction, "Good. Now, then, I called you here to inform you of a surprise."

Lance's back stiffened slightly. His father's 'surprises' tended to involve strange exercises that resulted in sore muscles and painful injuries. Once, there had been a lesson on how to create explosives. Lance had successfully mixed the chemicals and wired the device. But unfortunately, a passing monster had attacked and in the resulting struggle, the bomb had detonated; badly burning the boy. His father had blamed his son for being inattentive, and the resulting beating had been nearly as painful as the blast. That had happened when he was seven.

A later incident had been on his eleventh birthday. His father had left him in the wilderness with only a pocket knife, a sword, a compass, and the clothes on his back. His mission: find the way home in one piece. Lance had been instructed in survival training, but it had only been in theory. The result had been a disaster. He couldn't remember what plants were poisonous, so he avoided eating any; his sustenance came from whatever he could kill or trap. The sword had been far too heavy for him to effectively wield. And it had rained during one of the nights. It had taken him almost a week to get back and he returned with many injuries from monsters, had lost several pounds, and he had caught a cold. Lance had been praised for his swift return and his reward was training in field medicine; the injuries he had sustained being the practice.

"You'll be turning fourteen next week. I have prepared a one-of-a-kind weapon for your present," his father informed him. A cold smile spread across his face at the look of amazement that broke through Lance's impassive mask. "In preparation, we will be spending the next few days teaching you how to properly wield various weapons. The training starts at dawn tomorrow. You are dismissed." With that, the man turned and gazed out the window.

Lance saluted once more and left the room, slowly trudging up the stairs to his bedroom. Along the way, he paused to stare at the sole photo of his mother that hung on the wall in the stairwell. The woman had shoulder length red hair, a mischievous smirk on her face, and a black sword hanging at her waist. One hand steadied a rifle that was propped on the ground, her other hand rested on a five year old Lance's head. The photo had been taken just before she had been killed in a monster attack. Lance could hardly remember her, other than the fact that she'd had a soft voice at odds with the loud weapons she had favored and that she had never agreed with his father. After her death, the man had almost immediately begun treating Lance as a military trainee. On some level, Lance realized that maybe it was his father's way of protecting his son from meeting the same fate as his mother, but he resented the treatment.

The young teen bitterly turned away from the photo and finished climbing the stairs. He headed into his room and shut the door behind him, taking care to lock it. He opted not to turn the lights on and threw himself to lie down on his bed. "Someday, I'm going to get away from here," Lance murmured to himself, "I'll become the strongest person ever and then I'll stop any kind of fighting." He had been telling himself that for almost as long as he could remember.

The teen rolled onto his back, held one hand out in front of him, and concentrated. A small flicker of fire appeared in his palm to dance upwards before vanishing. Idly, Lance wondered if his mother had been able to use magic. He had never asked his father about it, fearing that the man would wonder where the sudden curiosity had come from. His father didn't have magic; Lance knew that for a fact. The teen figured that telling his father about the skill would lead to more crazy drills that Lance wanted no part of. The feeling of using magic was amazing, but he instinctively felt how easily it could run rampant; especially if improperly forced.

Letting his hand drop to the bed, Lance rehashed his plan/dream to become a ruler. With all the military training he had endured, the tactical mind he had inherited from his father, and the magic that he assumed came from his mother, the teen could easily picture himself as a mighty leader. He was still thinking when he drifted off to sleep.

 **OOOOOO**

Lance stifled the yawn that threatened to break out as he listened to his father drone on and on about the pros and cons of various weapons. It was really just review; he had learned all of the specifics of almost all existing weaponry when he had been nine. Finally, the man pulled out a basic sword and handed it over to Lance. The next several hours until lunch were spent on various techniques and stances. After lunch, his father watched as Lance ran through a few forms with the man calling out corrections and commands. They continued in this fashion for three days. Each evening, Lance fell into bed nursing sore muscle and blistered hands.

The next two days were spent on using various kinds of guns. It was quickly discovered that Lance was an excellent shot; able to hit the center of a target with high levels of precision. His father praised the teen and rewarded the excellent marksmanship by repealing the half rations punishment for the last couple of days. From sunrise to sunset for the remainder of the week, gunshots rang out; broken only for a few hours before lunch when Lance continued practicing with a sword. Those evenings, his muscles didn't hurt quite as much, but there was a persistent smell of gunpowder at all times in the house.

 **OOOOOO**

On the day of Lance's fourteenth birthday, his father allowed the teen to sleep in, and to eat as much as he wanted for breakfast. There was no need for any military protocols and the man didn't mention any kind of combat related concepts. After the dishes had been cleared, cleaned and packed away again, the man beckoned his son to follow him.

Lance silently followed behind his father into the man's study. There on the desk was a long and narrow metal case. His father ran a reverent hand over the steel container before standing back and waving for his son to open it. The teen stepped forwards and undid the clasps holding the weapon case shut, holding his breath as he eased the lid open. The hinges swung smoothly and silently and Lance inhaled sharply at the weapon that lay nestled in the velvet interior.

The handle was of smooth black leather. It curved gently, leading to a trigger set just beneath the chamber of a six-shot revolver. The muzzle of the gun was positioned on top of a long black-steel blade. The teen carefully lifted the weapon out of the container and held it in his left hand. Lance suddenly frowned as he looked the gunblade over again. The weapon looked familiar.

"It belonged to you mother," his father said quietly from behind him, "She wanted you to have it when you were old enough."

Lance glanced back over his shoulder at his father, but didn't say anything. That was why it looked familiar: he had seen the weapon many times in the photo hanging over the stairs. He gave a smirk and swung the weapon experimentally. His father murmured something about trying it out in the shooting range. Lance nodded and headed outside.

The gunblade worked like a dream. It was accurate, powerful, ridiculously easy to load, and doubled as a close combat weapon. Lance spent the rest of the day becoming fluid with wielding his new weapon. He found that loading the maximum number of bullets and firing in them in rapid succession was effective, but caused the gunblade to heat up in his hands. The resulting heatwaves that rose from the gun part made it difficult to aim until it had cooled down again.

This weapon was, hands down, the best thing that Lance had ever been given.

 **OOOOOO**

The next two years of Lance's life were more relaxed than all of the peaceful moments of the past ten years of combined. His father, while still usually treating him like a soldier, did not expect the teen to be at perfect attention when greeting him anymore. He was no longer punished for small mishaps in etiquette. But the best part was that their daily training sessions were left entirely up to Lance. His father told him whatever he wanted to focus on, to specialize in, he was free to do.

Lance immediately settled into discovering the finer points of gunmanship, machinery, and—when his father wasn't looking—magic. The teen had begun poking around through his mother's old things in the attic anytime his father was away, and had found old books on mana manipulation and casting. He learned that to effectively and efficiently use magic, it needed to be focused through some kind of enchanted object. The tools ranged from staves, to swords. Even instruments, guns, and books could be used to channel mana, if they had the right enchantments. Lance devoured the books and journals left behind by his late mother. In the bottom of a large trunk he found a massive rifle; the same one his mother's photo depicted. The label stuck to the gun named the weapon as Shadow Blaster. The large rifle was made of almost solid black metal, broken only by thin red lines running from the butt of the gun to the muzzle. Lance added testing the weapon to his secret training list.

By the time his sixteenth birthday rolled around, Lance was an adept fighter. He would often head out into the wasteland surrounding his home and fought the wild beasts from dawn to dusk. The thrill of fighting was an amazing sensation to the young man. His life now was almost… nice, Lance realized. It certainly wasn't ' _normal_ ' but the young man wasn't quite sure what normal was for most people. He had a vague idea that most people weren't raised from the age of five to be perfect soldiers, though. Some books he had read indicated that people tended to form bonds of friendship, but those bonds generally got them hurt or killed. It seemed like a waste to Lance. " _Why make friends if they're just going to get you killed?_ " he wondered as he fought a group of slimes one day, " _Well, I don't need friends; especially not weak friends._ "

 **OOOOOO**

By seventeen, Lance's father had died. The older man had been killed by a particularly vicious pair of bears on a hunting trip. Lance mourned the loss of an adept soldier, but not a father. The next several months were spent wandering. Everywhere the young man went, people seemed weak and stupid. He heard the occasional rumor of a pair running around tearing monsters down like they were dolls, but he didn't put any stock in them. Anyone who was that strong wouldn't just run around aimlessly; there was no point. Well, if this Matt and Natalie came across him, he would show them what true power was.

It was during one of the long days in the wilderness that Lance came across an abandoned weapons plant. The gunner shrugged and headed inside. As he explored the building, Lance realized that the facility was still operational, but abandoned. Why it had been abandoned, he didn't know, but this was a golden opportunity. Lance smirked; he would begin his empire with this plant. With minimal effort, the gunner booted up and hacked into the mainframe of the factory. Soon he had the machinery running, and began planning the designs of his soon-to-be robot army. Suddenly, the walls and floor shook. Lance tumbled to the ground where he laid stunned for a few moments before springing to his feet. Rushing to the security room, the gunner scanned the camera feeds.

"Nothing inside," Lance murmured. Turning his gaze to the outdoor feed, the gunner was stunned to find that the sky was flashing constantly with various beams of light. He watched the display for a few moments before shaking his head. Lance frowned, deciding that he had no way of knowing what was going on, and turned away. There were more important things to work on; robots to build, a satellite laser to commandeer; besides, his new Valkyrie Tank should be just about done by now.

 **OOOOOO**

Lance had only been sending robots out to conquer for a few weeks when the factory was assaulted. Checking the video feeds proved useless. Whether on purpose or not, the relevant security cameras had been destroyed, so he couldn't see who had decided to attack. Lance wasn't really surprised by the assault. He had expected someone to come and try to stop him.

" _Well, they can bring their armies,_ " Lance thought as he ordered his best robots to deal with the nuisance, " _My army will crush them all._ "

The first real shock the gunner had was when the report came in that his robots had been defeated. Lance frowned and climbed into his Valkyrie Tank. " _They must have over whelming numbers or a really good commander,_ " he mused as he piloted the large vehicle out to meet his foes.

The second shock, and far greater than the first, was when Lance finally saw the attackers. He had expected an army or at least a small battalion of highly trained troops. Who the gunner was greeted by was a swordsman and a female mage, neither one being any older than he was. The swordsman had long blond hair, some of which was tied in braids, and his weapon had a gleaming gold and red hilt. The mage had long orange hair, an impressively large bust, and a staff made of some sort of polished wood topped with a blue crystal. Neither one was wearing any heavy armor or had sustained any lasting wounds from Lance's robots.

"Hey, Natz, check out the fancy car!" The swordsman exclaimed to his companion. He pointed straight at the Valkyrie Tank

Whatever 'Natz' had planned to reply with was cut off by Lance popping up to snarl at the insult, "It is a _tank_ not a car."

The pair gaped up at the gunner for a few seconds. The mage muttered something to the swordsman that made him shrug and mutter back. Lance wondered impatiently what it was. Finally, the mage looked back up at the gunner, "Hey, do you mind not, you know, attacking random people with robots? We just saved the world from a megalomaniac zombie and we'd rather not have to fight you."

"Well, _I_ wouldn't mind either way. Natalie is the one with the issue," the swordsman corrected with a grin. He ignored the huff his companion gave.

"Fine, _I'd_ rather not have to fight you, but if Matt does, I do. So please stop?" Natalie said with an irritated glance at Matt.

Lance scowled down at them, recognizing their names. "I am not negotiating any truces with you two," he said in a flat and cold voice. He watched the mage sigh and the swordsman grin as they fell into battle stances. The gunner was confident he could defeat these two. He had made a promise to himself that if he ever met them he would show them what true power was.

 **OOOOOO**

" _Why won't they_ die _?_ " Lance mentally snarled. He had slammed them with several high-level explosives. He had peppered them with volleys of machinegun fire. He had even dropped a gods-damned space laser on their heads. Despite it all, the pair kept fighting, doing immense damage to Lance and his tank. The gunner wouldn't be able to keep it up and he knew it. But if they were going to take him down, he would make it one hell of a struggle.

Matt dove under another wave of bullets and rolled up to stab the Valkyrie Tank. His sword sank through the battered plating, and whatever it hit had an explosive result. Lance found himself briefly airborne before he slammed into the metal floor. Everything hurt, and he could feel blood running from a piece of shrapnel lodged in his shoulder. The gunner watched hazily as Matt approached him, sword in hand. He grudgingly admired their strength and persistence before blacking out.

 **OOOOOO**

Lance came to still lying on the ground, but in far less pain. He could hear a conversation going on nearby. The chatter stopped when the gunner groaned and sat up. Groggily, he realized that someone had removed the chunk of metal from his arm and had healed the wounds that had covered him. Lance opened his eyes to find Matt and Natalie sitting nearby, watching him closely. Matt stood up and approached Lance with his fist held out. The gunner braced himself for an impending blow, but blinked when the fist merely hovered a foot away from him.

"Nice fight," Matt told him with a grin, still holding his fist out.

Lance stared at him in confusion, "Aren't you going to kill me?"

The swordsman scoffed, "Why the hell would I kill such an awesome fighter?"

"I can think of a number of reasons," Lance muttered.

Natalie sighed from where she was sitting, "I don't know where you're from, Mr. Military, but generally, killing people is wrong."

Matt nodded, "What she said." He shook the fist he held out slightly, "C'mon, don't leave me hanging here!"

The gunner wasn't quite sure what Matt wanted, but he hesitantly brought his own fist up and bumped the swordsman's. "Thanks, I guess. You two fought well, too," Lance said. He scoffed suddenly, "Better than I did, certainly."

"Nah, you did fine," Matt assured the gunner, grasping his wrist and hauling him up to his feet. "It's just because Natz and I are an awesome team. Now let's go get some food! I'm starving!" He turned and started walking off with Natalie scrambling up to join him. The pair paused and glanced back in confusion when Lance remained where he was. "Are you coming?" Matt asked; Natalie waited expectantly beside him.

Lance stared at them. They were by far the strangest people the gunner had ever met. He had just tried very hard to kill one or both of them, and they want to know if he'd join them for some food? Lance shook his head in confusion and took a few hesitant steps towards the pair. When Matt simply grinned and Natalie raised an eyebrow as if to ask what was taking so long, Lance gave a small grin of his own. The expression felt weird on his face, but definitely nice. They were warriors like him and their acknowledgement of his own skills took the sting out of his defeat. Lance followed the pair out of the factory and to a nearby town.

 **OOOOOO**

Later, after copious amounts of alcohol and energy drinks, Matt extended an invitation for Lance to join their team. The gunner was taken aback by the offer. Natalie was inanely giggling nearby. She nodded her tipsy agreement when he glanced at her. Lance thought back to his former thoughts of friendship. Maybe if his friends were as strong, or stronger, than he was, then having a few wouldn't be so bad.

Lance smirked at Matt, "Sure, why not?"

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Not sure if this was what you had in mind, but I hope you liked it anyway. :3 Also, I would like to apologize for the horrible faux-military posturing. I have no idea how any of that actually goes. :P_


	5. Ghost Story

**_A/N:_** _A little thing for Halloween. I hope you all like it!_

 **Title** : Ghost Story  
 **Summary** : Anna tells a horror story while the party is camping in the Graveyard.  
 **Rating** : K+  
 **Warnings** : People turning into trees  
 **Genre** : Friendship/Horror/Humor  
 **World** : EBF4

* * *

A small campfire crackled in between the leafless branches of the Graveyard. Four long shadows stretched away, dancing in the flickering light. Shapes flitted in the darkness beyond the glowing circle. Occasionally, a pair of gleaming eyes would pause to observe the four friends sitting around the fire, but nothing dared approach them.

"And that was it: no more meat," Matt said in a low creepy voice.

Lance snorted from across the fire, "That had to be the least frightening ghost-story I have ever heard."

"Natz said nothing too scary," Matt said defensively.

"Natz is a wuss," Lance scoffed, "Although I guess at least yours was original. Her tale was about our Beholder fight last adventure." He ducked a small rock the mage threw his way.

"That fight was scary!" Natalie exclaimed with a pout, "Besides, you didn't tell a tale at all!"

"I am going last," Lance said in a superior tone, "My story is guaranteed to make everyone here too scared to sleep.

Matt glanced over at Anna with an excited grin, "Then I guess it's your turn, Anna!"

The ranger grinned and opened her mouth only to be cut off by Lance. "I don't want to hear about littering giving rise to evil shrubs," the gunner griped, "Anna's story is going to bore me to sleep before I can tell mine, I just know it."

"Like I would tell a stupid thing like that," Anna snapped. She looked around the campfire at her three friends, "I don't even need to make up some terrifying monster to make you all too scared to shut your eyes. I have a true story about the disappearance of a large group of people in this very graveyard."

Lance and Matt grinned in interest as Natalie whimpered and hid her face in her hands. Anna pitched her voice to a low rasp and began her tale.

"Once, a large party of adventurers came to this graveyard seeking access to an ancient crypt. Legends told of an undead monster that guarded a trove of treasure and they had come to slay the creature and loot the tomb. They entered the graveyard at dawn armed with gleaming weapons and armor and carrying many torches to light the way. The people of Whitefall begged them not to enter, saying that no-one who went in ever came back out. The party leader scoffed at their warnings, boasting that nothing in here could ever defeat all of them."

Matt interrupted the ranger to ask, "Did they ever get the loot? Is it still here for us to nab?"

"She said they disappeared, remember?" Natalie reminded him, "It's probably still here if there was ever actually any treasure to begin with."

Lance barely spared the pair a glance as he asked Anna, "How many were actually in this 'large party'?"

The ranger huffed, "It was like twenty guys or something. Can I get back to my story now?" She eyed the other three and continued when they nodded with sheepish grins.

"Anyway, it seemed at first that their boasts were true. All day, nothing they fought could even scratch their armor. When night fell they opted to keep walking, reasoning that with all of their torches they had no need to fear the darkness. They walked single file with three torches lit; one for the leader to hold, one for a man in the middle, and one for the man at the end. They trekked through the darkness, only stopping when a fog rose up, obscuring their sight too much to continue." The ranger's voice fell ominously, "When they gathered together again, it was discovered that two of their party had vanished."

"They probably got lost in the fog," Lance scoffed.

Anna glanced over at him with a slight nod, "That was exactly what the others thought. They figured that when the sun rose and burned away the fog, they could search for the missing members. The next morning, they gathered up their supplies and made a brief search of the area, but couldn't find the missing men. The leader urged his party on, stating that they must have gotten turned around and heading back. The trail through the graveyard is almost completely straight, after all. Reluctantly, the others agreed and the quest continued. They followed the same pattern the next day and night; traveling until a fog rose at night and sleeping until dawn. Another two men were lost that day and it was discovered that it was always the men in the darkest parts of the line. They decided that they would light more torches during the night to be safe."

Matt frowned, "So what? Were they actually getting lost, or was there something here picking them off?"

"Never mind that," Lance snorted, "Why didn't they just decide to travel by daylight? Seems like the obvious solution to me."

Natalie gave a small laugh, "That wasn't the tune you were singing when we decided to stop for the night. It took Anna commenting on the weird trees to get you to agree."

"Hey, those trees were staring at me," Lance exclaimed defensively, "I don't want to walk through this place wasting ammo on stumps!"

"Guys!" Anna border-line shouted in irritation, "Can I _please_ finish my story sometime tonight?" The other three shut up and she gave an irate huff.

"Thank you. Now then, the next night everyone in the party got one torch and it was discovered that the next day that the light kept their members from getting lost. Elated that they had found a solution, the party traveled even longer the next night. Unfortunately, their supply of torches began to dwindle as they passed the turn to enter Greenwood. Some members began to request they leave while they still had light, but their leader said no. He told them that if they wanted to go back, they could make the journey on their own, but he wasn't sparing any torches for them. Five members chose to try and make it home on their own. With their party reduced to eleven members, the leader claimed that they could travel even further each day because of the diminished cost of torches required to light their way. The very next day, they came across the turn leading to Greenwood Village. Puzzled, the party stopped. They had passed this very spot they day before and were baffled trying to figure out how they had looped around on a straight path. They looked around the area to be sure and the only difference was a cluster of five new trees."

Lance and Matt gaped at the ranger with wide eyes while Natalie let out a pathetic whimper. Anna's teeth flashed in the firelight as she gave them an evil grin.

"I can see you're beginning to see where this is going," Anna said in a darkly amused tone, "Some of the remaining party members came to the same conclusion—their friends had turned into twisted trees with eerie holes resembling faces. Their leader scoffed and claimed that people turning into stumps was ridiculous. He cajoled the others into continuing on, saying that as long as they stuck together, nothing would happen. That night, while they walked, their attention was so focused on the darkness around them that they didn't notice they were burning their last torches. It was only when the center man's torch spluttered out that they realized the danger they were in. The man huddled close to another person's torch and they carried on walking; they couldn't stop without any light after all. A few hours later, when nothing happened to the man with the dead torch, he began to walk slightly further away from the group." Anna paused and inwardly grinned as the other three leaned closer, begging silently for her to continue. "Suddenly, the man gave a gasp and scratched at his arm. He claimed he felt something itching under his skin and no matter how hard he scratched, it wouldn't go away. The others scoffed at him, claiming he must be feeling a nervous sweat breaking out. The man gave another choked gasp and froze in place. Before the others' horrified eyes, his arms and legs began to twist and extend. His skin became rough brown bark and his feet grew into the ground as roots. The man's mouth gaped wide in a silent scream of terror. In a few terrifying seconds, a tree stood where once there had been a human."

Lance and Matt felt their throats go dry and they glanced at a nearby tree marked with a frozen face of horror. Natalie buried her head in her knees and gave a muffled cry of terror. Lance began to scratch nervously at an itch on his arm and sweat beaded on his brow as he wondered if he was turning into a tree.

Anna's voice was barely more than a whisper as she continued her tale, "The other's panicked and began to run. Even the leader fled from the sight. They raced through the darkness and one by one their torches went out and another man was claimed by the graveyard. Soon the sky began to lighten as sunrise drew near, only two members of the party were left—the leader and a mage. Just before the sun broke the tree line, the leader's torch went out. Immediately, his body twisted and became another lost soul trapped forever in wood. The mage screamed and ran faster and faster. He blurred through the rest of the graveyard, seeing dozens of trees with fixed expressions of horror, and knew exactly what happened to people who went in and why they never came out. He kept sprinting throughout the whole day and just as night began to fall, he spied the snow drifts of Whitefall Town. Sobbing with relief and joy, the man dove through the snow, slipping and sliding all the way to the inn. He told his tale and from that point on, people knew why none ever returned from the graveyard. The captured souls of the lost remain trapped in the trees forever; unable to rest, unable to be cured or saved."

A large branch in the campfire snapped and collapsed, sending up a shower of sparks at the story's conclusion.

Matt shivered and glanced at the nearby tree again. He licked his dry lips a few times to wet them before asking, "So, uh, why are we here if we're at risk of turning into trees?"

Anna grinned, "You wanted to loot the tombs, didn't you? Don't tell me my story scared you so much you want to quit?"

"I think I'm transforming," Lance moaned, "My arm itches and it won't stop."

Natalie began breathing rapidly and Matt stared at the gunner in horror.

The ranger burst out laughing, "You aren't turning into a tree, Lance; it's all in your head."

"How do you know? You've never turned into a tree before!" Lance cried scratching at his arm furiously.

"Stop that, you're going to rub your skin clean off," Anna scolded him, reaching over and grabbing the gunner's wrist. "First off, I know because it's a fairly common thing to have happen around Greenwood and I know what the causes are." She grinned as Lance stopped twitching to stare at her with hope in his eyes. "You have to be lost and have no light source for it to happen. That's why I insisted we stop as soon as the sun started setting and made sure we have plenty of wood to burn for the whole night."

Matt heaved a massive sigh of relief and relaxed only to jump as Natalie suddenly passed out. He laughed at the mage and gathered her up to lay on her bedroll by the fire. The swordsman turned to Lance with a grin, "So, do you want to top her story?"

"I can't," Lance admitted, "I've never heard anything as terrifying as that; especially since it's true. I don't think I'll be sleeping tonight."

"Or any other night while we're here," Matt agreed.

The ranger beamed, "Score! I win the ghost-story contest! Natalie passed out, Lance thought he was turning into a tree, and Matt is too scared to sleep." She grinned evilly, "I have more for next time, too." She turned and crawled into her own bedroll.

"Next time, Anna doesn't get a turn," Lance muttered to Matt. The swordsman nodded vigorously and the pair resigned themselves to a long, sleepless night of constant vigilance.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _And there you go! I don't know how many of you find this sort of thing terrifying, but I for one would hate to suddenly turn into a tree. Happy early Halloween/All Hallow's Eve/Hollantide/Oiche Samhain!_


	6. All Tied Up

_**A/N:** Just a silly little thing I thought of._ _xD_

 **Title:** All Tied Up  
 **Rating** : K  
 **Genre** : Humor  
 **World** : EBF4

* * *

The setting sun cast an orange glow over the clearing that Anna, Matt, Natalie, and Lance had chosen to camp in for the night. Natalie's head was bent over one of her boots as she worked to get a new lace threaded to replace the old, frayed one. Anna was whittling a stick with a small pocket knife, carving random swirls into the wood. Lance was staring into the non-existent flames of their non-existent campfire. Matt was nowhere to be seen. The gunner flopped onto his back with a massive sigh.

"How long can it possibly take to gather a few branches and come back? We're in the middle of a _forest_ for Godcat's sake," Lance grumbled.

Anna glanced up from her carving to look at the sun, starting a little as she realized how late it was getting. "You're right, he's been gone for a long time," she mused with a frown. She glanced over at Lance and asked, "Do you think he's in trouble?"

"I don't think there are any monsters around here that would be a problem for Matt," Natalie said. She set her fixed boot on the ground and slipped her foot back into it. The mage laced the last bit up and tied a knot before looking over at Anna, "Maybe he fell asleep somewhere?"

Lance snorted from where he was lying on the ground, "There's a high possibility of that."

Anna tossed her whittled branch into the empty fire pit and stood up, "Might as well go look for him. He's probably eaten something weird and is having a trip again."

"You'd think he would've learned his lesson after the slimes," Lance grumbled. He stood up and swung his rifle onto his back.

Natalie laughed as she stood as well, "Or after the Sandworm incident, or after the shrooms, or after that giant bug."

The three headed into the trees to look for their missing companion. When they didn't seen any trace of Matt's passing after several minutes of walking, the three began to get worried. Natalie called the swordsman's name, but the only reply was an echo of her voice and the rustling of a monster in the foliage. Lance and Anna tried yelling Matt's name next, but got the same result. The three exchanged concerned glances.

Natalie cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled, "HEY, MATT, WE HAVE SOME BEER FOR YOU!"

Still, there was only an echo as a reply, " _-beer for you… for you… you…_ "

Natalie lowered her hands, "Well that should have brought him running, even if he was asleep. Maybe he fell and got hurt?"

Lance shrugged, "It's a possibility. Let's spilt up and meet back here in ten minutes or so."

The other two nodded the three headed in separate directions, calling the missing swordsman's name as they went. Lance trekked through the trees; pausing every few steps to yell for Matt. The only thing he ever heard was his own voice's echo and sometimes Natalie's or Anna's as they called for the swordsman. The sun set and the moon began to rise, making the forest even darker than normal.

The gunner shoved his way through a bush and stopped with a sigh as he still had not found any sign of Matt's passing, and by the calls echoing through the trees, neither had Anna or Natalie. Lance grunted and turned to head back to the meeting point only to pause as a flash of reflected moonlight in a patch of ferns caught his eye. He stepped over to the plants and pushed them aside to reveal Matt's sword Heaven's Gate. Matt's pirate hat sat discarded on top of the blade

With a gulp, Lance readied his own weapon, glancing around the clearing for whatever had taken Matt down. The only other things in the area were a small pile of branches and a banana. Lance stared at the fruit, completely bewildered. Even if Anna was the party expert on local fauna, Lance knew that bananas were not a native fruit to the area, and the party hadn't been to town to restock in several days. He stepped forward to grab the fruit, only to freeze as a thought occurred to him. The gunner glanced up and burst out laughing.

The missing swordsman was hanging upside down by his feet from a tree branch above Lance's head; Matt had been caught in a trap for animals. Lance doubled over laughing before calming down enough to straighten and yell for Anna and Natalie that he had found Matt. He listened with satisfaction to the return cheers before a groan from overhead dragged his gaze back up.

 **OOOOOO**

Matt's eye's opened as he heard a familiar yell come from below him. To his dismay, he was still hanging from a rope in a tree. He groaned as his head pounded from the excess blood rushing to it from hanging upside down. He opened his eyes and looked to the ground to see Lance looking back up at him. The gunner's arms were folded across his chest. A wide smirk of amusement was plastered on his face, paired with a single arched brow.

"I think this is a new low for you, man. Or maybe, I should say it's a new high?" Lance said with amusement clear in his voice.

"Hah hah, very funny, Lance" Matt said flatly. He writhed a little bit, but all that accomplished was to set him spinning. He glared at the spinning face below him before shutting his eyes as his stomach lurched. "Are you going to help me, or not?" Matt asked with a slightly queasy face.

Lance grinned, but didn't get a chance to say anything as Natalie and Anna came crashing into the clearing. They stared at the gunner who merely jerked his head upward with a wide grin on his face. The two women looked confused until the spotted Matt hanging from the trees, still slowly spinning. Matt grumbled as Anna burst out in laughter and Natalie covered her mouth with one hand to try and hide her grin.

Anna wiped tears of mirth out of her eyes and grinned up at the trapped swordsman. "Got a little caught up in something, huh?" she asked.

Natalie snorted, "He does seem to be in a bit of a bind. How did you set this off?"

Lance waved to the banana on the ground, "That piece of fruit was so irresistible it swept him off his feet."

"Everyone's a comedian," Matt deadpanned. His eyes took on a pleading look, "Get me down; I feel like I'm going to hurl."

"I think you mean you're going to twirl," Natalie laughed.

"Hang in there while we find where it's attached," Anna said with a grin.

Matt let out groan, "Are the puns going to end anytime soon?"

Lance grinned, "Frayed knot, bro."

Natalie and Anna burst out laughing at the scowl on Matt's face. Finally, the three on the ground moved to find where the rope was tied on the ground. They waved to Matt to brace himself as Lance readied his gunblade to slice through the rope. With a snapping sound, Matt dropped to the ground, catching himself on his hands and sliding onto his back. The other three watched with matching amused looks as the swordsman struggled to release his legs from the rope. He finally pulled the binding off his legs and stood up to glare at the others.

"Well, now that Matt is done hanging out, let's head back to camp" Natalie said with a grin.

Anna patted the Matt's back as he glared at the mage, "Sorry Matt, it was too funny."

Lance snorted, "He deserved it. Who grabs random tropical fruits off the ground in an evergreen forest?"

Matt's eyes brightened, "Oh, that's right!"

Before Anna could stop him, the swordsman ran to pick up the fruit. Seconds later, he was dangling in a second snare. The ranger's face morphed into a grin, "How did he knot think of that?"

Lance frowned, "I'm running out of puns."

"Well, Matt's a little tied up in something right now. Let's think of a few more," Natalie said with a wide smile, eyes sparkling with laughter.

The three burst out laughing again Matt groaned in annoyance and resigned himself to several more rope puns before they got around to letting him down again.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Yay! Awful puns!_

 _In other news: to anyone who was waiting for the sequel to_ 'An Epic Retelling,' the first chapter is up. I will be updating it on Mondays each week until I run out of new material or it finishes. ;)


	7. Lost at Sea

**_A/N:_** _Hooray for clichés! xD_

 **Title:** Lost at Sea  
 **Summary** : Matt left to hunt treasure across the sea and his ship is late coming in.  
 **Rating** : T  
 **Warnings:** Language  
 **Genre** : Angst, romance, friendship  
 **Pairings** : MattxNatalie, mild AnnaxLance  
 **World** : Post EBF4

* * *

Matt clung to the wide piece of flotsam he had snagged when the ship had broken apart. He coughed cold water out of his lungs and squeezed his eyes shut against the stinging ocean spray. Winds tore at the caps of massive waves and swells and lightening crackled through the boiling clouds. Matt clung tighter and prayed that none of the waves would crash over him.

" _I should have listened when Lance, Anna, and Natalie said not to go on a ship in the spring,_ " the swordsman thought. He wondered if he would ever get a chance to hear them say they had told him so, or if he was going to drown out here. " _So close to shore, too._ _At least they're safe on land,_ " Matt thought.

He braced himself for a long and terrifying night, and prayed that it wouldn't be his last.

 **OOOOOO**

Natalie sat on the edge of the dock, blue eyes fixed on the distant horizon line. The sea breeze tossed her orange hair and red dress. Seabirds called overhead and waves crashed against breakers and the shore. The mage heard Anna and Lance come up from behind, but didn't turn around. They all came out here each day to wait and hope.

Matt had decided to go on a voyage, following a map to some buried treasure. They had tried to persuade him to wait until summer, when the seas were calmer, but the swordsman had been too excited. He had left immediately and alone after a heated argument. They hadn't even gone to see him off. That had been a month ago and they missed him a lot, even Lance admitted it wasn't the same without the cheerful blonde around. His ship had been due to come in three days ago, but it never arrived. Each of them hoped that it had merely gone off course, or had been delayed, or maybe he'd had to catch a different ship home. Anything was better than what they feared was the case.

Lance glanced at Anna, his face somber. He and the ranger had just been to talk with the harbor master about the ship their friend would be coming in on. The news hadn't been good, and now they needed to tell Natalie. Anna shrugged with downcast eyes, and the gunner heaved a sigh. He swallowed and took a deep breath.

"Natalie?" Lance finally said in a quiet voice. The mage nodded, but didn't turn around. The gunner went on just as softly, "The harbor master said some flotsam washed up last night. We're positive that it's from the ship Matt was supposed to be on."

The mage stiffened and shook her head. "He's fine. He _is_. Matt wouldn't drown, I know it. It was from a different ship," she said with stubborn defiance.

Lance exchanged a glance with Anna.

The ranger stepped forward and knelt beside Natalie. "They- they found this skewered on a plank," Anna whispered. She set a familiar hat down on Natalie's lap.

Natalie stared down at Matt's Captain Hat. The feather was gone and there was a hole through it, but she couldn't claim that it was someone else's; it had the poor stitching of Matt's name on the edge she herself had done. Tears welled up in Natalie's eyes and she hugged the hat to her chest.

"B-but he c-can't be g-gone," Natalie sniffled. She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the tears down her cheeks, "I-I didn't get to t-tell h-him that I l-love him. I didn't e-even get to s-say g-goodbye. A-and the l-last th-things I s-said t-to him were s-so mean." She burst into sobs.

Lance crouched down beside her and wrapped an arm around the mage's shaking shoulders. "I know," he whispered, a shimmer of unshed tears in his own eyes as he stared at the clear, blue water. His voice fell even further, "We all did the same thing."

Anna had tears running down her own face as she stared across the ocean. She wondered if Matt had died thinking they were still mad at him. The ranger hugged herself as a sob burst from her throat, and turned her head away from the sea.

They stayed there for the longest time, mourning the loss of their friend, and regretting that the last things they had said to him were the products of a fight. The sun was setting when Lance finally wiped his sleeve across his eyes and stood up. He held a hand out to Natalie and pulled her to her feet. He observed the lost look in her eyes with a sense of helplessness, Matt's hat clutched in her arms. He hooked an arm around her shoulders and guided her away from the dock with Anna close on the mage's other side. The uncaring ocean continued to roll against the shore behind them.

The next day, they headed for an abandoned peninsula jutting out just over the water of a small cove. Lance set a large, irregularly-shaped rock down with a grunt and stood back. His eyes swept across the piece of wilderness they had chosen as Matt's memorial. They had decided that Matt wouldn't have wanted his grave to be in some stuffy tomb next to Whitefall, but out in the wild he had spent so much of his life exploring. This was about as out of the way as one could get; they'd had to hike through Lankyroot to reach it, and the sharp rocks at the cove's entrance would prevent boats from sailing in.

Anna stood beside Natalie, but stayed back as the mage came forward and placed Matt's hat down in front of the stone. She set another rock on top of it to keep it from blowing away. Natalie sat back on her legs with tears in her eyes, staring at the marker. Anna came up beside her next, and set down a small bundle of wildflowers. Finally, Lance came forward with a small knife. After a moment's hesitation, he carved the words, 'R.I.P. Matt, a brave and beloved hero' into the stone. He sat back with a shuddering breath.

"Goodbye and rest well, Matt. Wherever you end up, I hope they have a lot of food and fights for you. Thanks for stopping me all those years ago, and for being such a great friend. I wish we'd had more time, and I'm sorry we didn't try harder to stop you." Lance said in a soft voice.

Anna spoke next, her voice barely more than a whisper, "You were one of my best friends, Matt. I wish you hadn't gone on that ship more than ever, but you did. I'm sorry I'll never see you again, and I'm also sorry for yelling at you before you left. Thank you for helping me stop Godcat, and thank you for being such an awesome friend and adventure buddy."

There were a few seconds of silence, but finally, Natalie spoke up in a small and trembling voice—the first words she had spoken since the day before, "Goodbye, Matt. I'm sorry for yelling at you and I wish you were still here. Thank you for the awesome years of adventuring, I'll miss you, your sense of humor, your strength. I never told you this, but I love you. I always have and always will love you. I-I'll do my best to be strong, even with you gone."

Anna hugged Natalie as the mage burst into sobs. Lance ran a hand over her head and down to rub her back. Finally, Anna pulled Natalie up and began to lead her away. She paused when Lance remained sitting there. The two women looked back, but Lance waved them off.

"I'll catch up to you in a bit," the gunner said. He watched as they hesitated, but nodded and left. Lance turned his eyes to the marker.

"You dumb, bastard," Lance seethed. "How _dare_ you go and drown? We're going to miss you, you jerk." The gunner's shoulders slumped, "Why didn't you listen to us? Why didn't you just wait? I guess you wouldn't have been you if you had, though. I know you loved Natalie, too, even if you never grew a pair and told her. She's going to miss you most of all, you know. I promise Anna and I will keep an eye on her for you, so don't worry about that, okay?"

With that, Lance turned and walked away, heading after Anna and Natalie.

 **OOOOOO**

Something was fluttering nearby. Matt slightly raised his cheek from where it had been pressed against the wood. He cracked his eyes open against the film of salt that coated the lids in time to see a seagull fly off. He stared after the bird, watching enviously as it soared away. The swordsman lifted himself further up with a groan, ignoring the hungry complaints his stomach made. He'd been adrift for nearly five days now, carefully rationing the water he had in his canteen.

"I'm so glad I still had a full canteen in my Adventure Pouch," he croaked to himself. "Now if only I had a motor boat." He gave a dry laugh and added, "While I'm wishing I might as well ask for a GPS and a chunk of roast chicken. Maybe that gull will come back and I can eat it."

Suddenly, the swordsman's head jerked up to stare at the bird overhead, heart lifting as a second bird swooped into view. " _Birds mean land, right?_ " he realized with a flash of hope. He twisted his head around, and squinted against the glare of the sun off the water. He scanned the horizon and gasped as he spotted a dark smudge in the distance. Immediately, he began kicking to drive the piece of wood he was resting on forward, eyes fixed on the dark smudge.

Slowly, so slowly, the dark smudge grew closer, and Matt recognized it as the cliffs at the edge of Lankyroot. He gave a tired grin and kicked harder until a thought occurred to him and he slowed down for a short rest. He chewed on his dry lower lip, eyeing the cliff. If he just swam up to it, he'd likely get dashed against the rocks, but they extended for several miles in either direction. The swordsman glanced back as a stronger and colder-than-normal breeze swept over him. His eyes widened as he spotted dark clouds on the horizon.

"Great, why now?" he muttered.

Matt turned his head forwards again and kicked out as strongly as possible. He'd never be able to hold onto the piece of wood through another storm. The swordsman decided he'd have to risk the cliffs. Better a possibility of survival with the cliffs, than near-certain death at the hands of another storm. He mused that maybe he could scramble up the cliff. He still had his swords, after all; he could wedge them into the stone for hand-holds.

The wind grew stronger and the waves grew rougher. Matt used them to propel himself more quickly towards the cliffs, avoiding thinking about the force they'd add to his impact with the stone. He kept his eyes firmly fixed on the stone as it began to loom overhead. He frowned as he spotted a small break in the cliff wall, signaling a cove. He eyed the jagged spires at its mouth, but changed course for it anyway. Rain began to fall as he drew even closer to his goal.

A few dozen feet away from the spires, Matt dove off the plank and began swimming for the cove. He heard a splintering crash as the piece of wood shattered on the stone. He fought against the tides as they pulled him back and forth. Water frothed around the stones as he swam through them. He gritted his teeth as one scraped his leg and the resulting cut burned from the saltwater.

Finally, he was through and in the relatively calm waters of the cove. Matt panted as he swam the last few yards to the sandy shore. He struggled to his feet, slipping as the water receding from a wave dragged at his legs. The swordsman staggered above the tide-line, limping on his wounded leg. He reached safety and collapsed onto his side on the sand, heavily panting.

"Made it," he breathed with immense relief. His eyes slowly slipped shut, despite the rain pouring down, and he passed out.

 **OOOOOO**

Lance furiously grumbled as NoLegs appeared out of nowhere, loudly meowing. He snatched the cat up and took him outside. Anna anxiously checked where Natalie was sleeping on her bed in Greenwood Village, but the mage remained asleep.

"We just got Natalie to sleep for the first time in days, you damn cat," the gunner snarled, throwing NoLegs down on the grass.

The cat sprang up and bit the leg of Lance's pants and tugged. The gunner growled and shook his leg free of the cat's jaws. NoLegs merely bounced a short ways away, frantically meowing. Lance rolled his eyes with a sigh. He held up one finger and poked his head back inside.

"The furball wants me to follow him, can you keep an eye on Natz?" he whispered.

Anna nodded and waved him off.

Lance shut the door again and turned to the cat, "Lead on, furball."

NoLegs led Lance through the village, headed for Lankyroot. Water dripped off of branches from a recent storm, but the sky was mostly clear and starry. The gunner grumbled as he followed the cat into the wilds of Lankyroot, but made no move to stop or turn around. They walked in silence, trying to avoid any prowling monsters. NoLegs confidently led Lance deeper, heading directly north. Lance finally froze when he heard waves, and realized where the cat was leading him.

"Look, I know Matt is dead," Lance said in a shaky voice. He frowned when NoLegs merely shook his furry head and pushed out of the tree line.

The gunner swallowed and followed. His eyes welcomed the change from the dark jungle to the better-lit area of Matt's grave. A cloud covered the moon, but Lance could clearly see the marker of Matt's grave and the damp hat in front of it. He wondered what NoLegs wanted him to see. To his confusion, the cat headed past the marker and vanished over a dune on the beach. Lance followed the cat onto the beach and froze.

The cat was standing next to a dark lump, lying still in the sand. The moon came out from behind the clouds and illuminated long, wet, blond hair and tattered clothing. Lance's jaw dropped and he dashed forwards, slipping on the sand in his haste. He skidded to a halt beside the figure, spraying wet sand everywhere, and rolled it over. The gunner hardly dared to believe it was true. His eyes widened as they fell on Matt's face. Sand crusted one side, and he was thinner than before, but it was definitely the swordsman. And he was breathing. Lance lightly shook the unconscious swordsman, trying to wake him up. His heart soared when Matt let out a groan.

Blue eyes flickered open to blankly stare up at Lance. Matt blinked a few times before his eyes widened and his face split in an exhausted smile. His smile faded some when Lance wiped the back of his hand across his eyes. "Hey, sorry I'm late. I'd also like to say you guys were right: sailing in the spring is a bad idea," he croaked with a small grin.

Despite himself, Lance laughed, "I'm going to punch you later, but for now, let's get you back to Greenwood." He stood up and held a hand out for the swordsman to grasp.

Matt nodded and accepted the hand his friend offered. He staggered to his feet and nearly fell back down as his injured leg gave out. Lance caught him under the arm and helped Matt sling it over his shoulder. With a grunt, Lance heaved his friend up, one hand gripping Matt's wrist the other hooked in the belt of his pants, and began to slowly lead him back to Greenwood. NoLegs bounded alongside them, purring. They traveled in silence for a while until Lance quietly spoke.

"The others will be stunned to see you and Natalie will be ecstatic. She isn't doing so well," the gunner murmured.

Matt jerked his head around to stare at the side of his friend's face, "What? Is she sick or hurt?"

Lance shook his head, "She thinks you're dead. Until the furball brought me to you, we all thought so." He turned a glare on his friend, "If you so much as try to get on another ship, I will break both of your legs, by the way."

The swordsman flinched, "You guys thought I died, huh? Can't say I blame you, I thought I was going to die several times."

The gunner turned to face forwards again with a nod, "Had a small service, said some words, cried, and everything. You actually washed up right next to the grave we set up for you." He snorted and complained, "They're going to think the furball and I are necromancers now. Thanks."

Matt gave a rasping laugh, "I think the lack of a body being buried would debunk that theory."

Feeling the swordsman slump further, Lance paused to adjust his grip and hitch his friend up further. He stepped out again, as quickly as Matt was able to go. They were only halfway back to Greenwood, and being in the middle of Lankyroot at night was dangerous; especially alone with only a badly weakened party member and a cat for backup. A pair of slimes dropped down out of the trees and the gunner stopped with a sigh. Carefully, he lowered Matt to sit down with an order to stay still and silent while NoLegs slashed at the two monsters. Lance loaded two bullets into his gunblade and took the two now-weakened monsters down with a Double Shot; the two gunshots ringing through the trees.

Turning back to help his friend up again, Lance froze at a loud crashing sound in the trees, headed straight towards them. He spun around, raising his gunblade and stepping in front of Matt defensively. NoLegs puffed up with a hiss, but settled down a split second later. Natalie and Anna lunged out of the leaves, weapons in hand. The gunner grinned at them, only to flinch when Natalie stepped forwards and smacked him.

"What are you doing all the way out here, alone?" the mage spat, tears in her eyes. "I just lost Matt; I don't want to lose you, too."

The gunner rubbed his sore cheek. Despite the pain, he smiled, "Actually, the furball brought me out here to pick Matt up."

Anna frowned, thinking Lance had gone cuckoo "Matt's dead, Lance. Please tell me you haven't snapped?" Her frown deepened when the gunner merely rolled his eyes with a small laugh.

Natalie hissed, "This isn't funny, Lance!"

"It wasn't really supposed to be," Lance said with a smirk.

The gunner ducked another slap and stepped aside to reveal Matt leaning against a tree. Natalie and Anna froze, staring at the swordsman. Matt had fallen asleep against the trunk at some point. As they stared at him, his head rolled to one side with a small mumble, tangled blond hair falling across his face. Natalie covered her mouth as tears welled in her eyes. She lunged forwards and tackled Matt with a hug. The sudden motion jerked Matt awake with a hoarse cry of surprise. Anna laughed and joined the mage in hugging the swordsman.

"Uh, hi," Matt said. He glanced between the two and then up at Lance. "Are we in Greenwood already? Can I have some food? Maybe get a Heal for my leg?"

Anna weakly punched the swordsman's chest, "You-you-you _ass_! We thought you were dead, _dead!_ The ship you were on _sank_ , for Godcat's sake! How did you survive? Actually, you know what? I don't care. I'm so glad to see you!"

Matt snorted at the rapid shift from anger, to disbelief, then to happiness. He awkwardly patted the ranger's back and she pulled away to go hug Lance. The gunner spluttered in embarrassment and confusion at the sudden affection. He finally relaxed a little and hesitantly returned the hug, though the look on his face clearly showed he had no idea why Anna was hugging him. Matt grinned up at him before turning his attention to the mage still draped over him.

Natalie buried her face in Matt's chest, still crying. She hugged Matt tighter, relishing in his warmth and steady heartbeat. Both things reassured her that the swordsman was alive. Finally, she pulled back with a sniffle to beam at his baffled face. The mage raised her staff. With a flash of white light, the cut on Matt's leg vanished, and she smiled at his sigh of relief.

Matt grinned and opened his mouth to thank Natalie only to have the words vanish from his mind, along with all other thought. The mage had dropped her staff and lunged forward to kiss him full on the mouth. Matt stiffened in surprise, but relaxed after a few seconds to return the kiss. Both were oblivious to the identical smirks they were getting from Lance and Anna. Natalie pulled away and met Matt's eyes with her own sparkling.

"I thought I had missed my chance before. I'm not going to make the same mistake twice," Natalie said in a quiet, but firm voice. She smiled and said, "I love you, Matt. I've loved you for a long time, now."

A brilliant flush rose on Matt's cheeks as he stared at the mage in disbelief. He opened his mouth to reply, but shut it again a moment later.

"Now would be a good time to tell her the same," Lance stage-whispered. Anna let out a small snicker of agreement.

Matt glared sideways at them, but had to agree. He turned his eyes back to Natalie who was watching him with hopeful eyes. He raised one hand to rub the back of his head and quietly said, "I love you too, Natalie. I'm sorry for scaring you so badly." He gave a crooked grin and shot Lance a wicked look, "You can thank Lance for the second chance, by the way. he has some impressive Necro-voodoo." He took immense satisfaction in the splutter Lance gave. Vengeance was sweet.

"Hey! I just found you on the beach. If anyone here is a necromancer it's the furball!" Lance protested.

"Meow?"

Anna eyed the gunner with mock-concern, "I didn't realize you're a necromancer, Lance. Going to try zombies instead of robots for your next attempt at world conquest?"

Lance choked and glared at her, "No! Rotting, dead bodies are gross! Why would I want to resurrect one, much less an army of them?"

"I'm not hearing any denial that you could," the ranger said with a grin. She laughed at the aggravated sigh Lance released, and gave him another hug. "It's okay, I'll still follow you," she consoled him.

Natalie burst out laughing at the light blush that spread on Lance's face. She turned back to Matt and said, "I don't care how you got back, Matt. I'm just glad you're here."

Matt grinned, "Same here. So can I get some food? And a bed? And maybe some beer?"

Lance rolled his eyes, but stepped forwards to haul Matt up again. "You're lucky I'm tired and want to sleep," he muttered.

Natalie walked close on the swordsman's other side and Anna stepped up next to Lance. NoLegs bounced a little ways ahead of them, purring loudly. Together, the five reunited friends made their way to Greenwood Village.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _I'm supposed to be working on the next chapters for '_ Retribution _' and '_ The Long Road Home _' as well as another one-shot (for Thanksgiving), but this idea jumped out at me and I had to write it. I hope you all liked it. Leave me a review!_


	8. The Mission

**Title:** The Mission  
 **Summary** : Robots are invading again and the party thinks Lance is to blame.  
 **Rating** : T  
 **Warnings:** Mild blood, mild language  
 **Genre** : Angst, friendship  
 **Pairings** : mild AnnaxLance  
 **World** : Post EBF4

* * *

Matt abruptly stopped when a concerned-looking NoLegs appeared in the snow in front of him. The cat looked up at him with a black object and a pouch in his mouth and offered them to take. The swordsman exchanged confused looks with Anna and Natalie, but bent to accept the objects. He frowned, thinking the pouch looked familiar, then turned his attention to the other object. It was a black cylinder, only about as long as his hand and had a small red button on one end. NoLegs meowed a few times and Natalie frowned.

"He says it's a message from Lance, and that you need to press the button on the top to hear it," the mage translated. She rolled her eyes, "I say just destroy the thing. I don't particularly care what that bastard has to say."

Matt shrugged, "I don't really care either, but Lance knows how we feel about him. I doubt he'd try to contact us if it wasn't important."

"I don't know; what if it's a bomb?" Anna asked with a frown.

"Nah, if Lance really wanted us dead, he'd come try to do it himself. Remote detonation isn't his style," Matt said with a shake of his head.

"Good point," the ranger sighed. "Might as well hear what he has to say, then."

The swordsman nodded and pressed the small button. The cylinder made a small whirring sound and a few lines lit up with red lights. There were several seconds of static and then they heard Lance's tired voice.

"Hey, guys. I know you never wanted to hear from me again, but I needed to let you know a few things. I think I would rather have done this in person, but that won't be possible. Please let this message run all the way through. I know you guys won't believe me, but I've been looking into where the robots are coming from. You're right that they're my design, but I don't have any active factories anymore. I tracked the signals they were receiving to a mountain due south of the waste disposal plant near Whitefall. I found a factory near the peak and think I know what happened. If I'm right, then blowing it up should stop the waves of robots."

There was a pause and then the three skeptical listeners heard a heavy sigh, "I'm sure you don't believe or really care about all of that and you probably won't care too much about this next part, either. The real message I wanted to pass on is that I doubt I'll make it out alive and I wanted to tell you goodbye. You're probably cheering over that fact, and I guess I would deserve it, huh? At least you won't have to worry about seeing me again."

The three listening to the message froze in horror. Even if they were mad at Lance, they had never wanted him dead. They numbly continued to listen to his farewell and each felt tears form in their eyes.

"NoLegs, I still despise cats and I still think you're an irritating furball, but I'm glad that you always backed us up. I really appreciate that you heard me out and were willing to deliver this message. After the recording is done, tell Matt what's in the pouch, alright? Also, make sure he buys you some ham."

"Matt, you've been a great friend and I had way more fun running around with you than I did trying to take over the world. Keep fighting and you can sell whatever is in that pouch for more gold; I told NoLegs everything that's inside so you can get it out."

"Natalie, you are hands-down, the best mage ever. I'd say I'm sorry for hitting on you, but I'm not; it was fun and I never really meant much by it, anyway. Thanks for looking out for me and the others all this time. Keep taking care of everyone, okay?"

"Anna, your archery is on par with most of my gunmanship. I know I always disparaged you weapon choice, but it was a lie to get you worked up. I might as well admit that I've had a crush on you for a while now. Maybe saying all of this in a recorded message is a good thing; I can't see the expression you're probably making and you can't smack me. Stay safe, alright?"

"I guess that's it. Sorry if I screw this mission up as badly as I did our friendship. I'll do my best to not fail. Goodbye, guys; it's been fun."

With that the cylinder fell silent and the lights on it turned off. Matt dropped the object, staring at it in horrified disbelief. Natalie's face was covered in tears and Anna looked stunned. The mage shook her head.

"He's lying, right? He would never admit any of that," Natalie whispered. "Besides, he'd never throw himself into a suicide mission."

Matt swallowed, "He'd admit it if he really thinks he's going to die. And Lance has changed a lot from when he first joined the team. I can see him trying to do this on his own, especially since we apparently convinced him that we want him dead."

"Gods, what have we done? Maybe if we hadn't told him all of that, he'd have come found us to help," Anna quietly said.

NoLegs began to softly meow. Each word he said had Natalie's eyes widening further and further. She looked at the pouch in Matt's hand then jerked her head to the south with her jaw dropped. With a shuddering inhale, she shook her head.

"He left us almost all of his rifles, armor, food, loot, everything. NoLegs says he only has his gunblade, radio, and Super Snipe on him now. He also says that Lance was already wounded, but still planned to assault the factory as soon as the message was sent," the mage whispered.

Matt's face set and he began digging through his pockets. He pulled out a scrap of paper and a stubby pencil and began scribbling a rapid note down. He then handed it to NoLegs, "I need you to take this to Lance, alright?"

The cat nodded and vanished again. Matt turned to the other two, "Let's get going. We're already close to his location; if we hurry, we can save him."

Anna and Natalie nodded with determined looks. Together, they set off at a sprint headed south, eyes fixed on the only mountain there. They ran for hours and only increased their pace once they reached the base of the mountain. All along the trail up, they saw the signs of Lance's passing. Metal bits and robots littered the path. Some were blackened from explosives and others were punched clean through from bullets. Near the top, they came across an ominous patch of snow that had been stained red. They saw a discarded Medipack lying next to the spot and strips of bloodied bandages.

Finally, the entrance of the factory came into view. They could hear the muffled sound of sirens coming from within. Occasionally, there would be a blast that rattled the bars placed over the high windows. Matt ran straight for the entrance and with a mighty swing, cut the metal door open. He paused only long enough for the other two to join him before darting into the building.

The interior was lit with bright white lights and sirens wailed. A robotic voice on the intercom listed areas that an intruder had broken into. Orders blared out about mustering all available units to destroy the intruder. Matt shot a swift look around the area, taking in the devastation Lance had wrought and checking for any enemies. Anna darted over to a nearby wall and inspected a list of what was in what zone. Red lights flashed to show what areas had been compromised and as she watched, a light flicked on next to the name 'Assembly Line.'

"He's down in B-4," Anna announced.

Natalie nodded, "Let's hurry. We're almost there."

The three dashed for the staircase and bounded down the stairs. Matt led the way, his sword in hand and his eyes constantly scanning for danger. As they hit the bottom floor, they began to hear the distant sounds of gunfire. Another explosion rocked the hall and the three staggered, trying to maintain their footing. Another blast sent them to the ground, but they sprang up again and raced on. They followed the sounds of fighting and saw a set of large double doors that had been blown clean off their hinges. In the room beyond, they saw a flash of light as another explosion went off. The three running towards the room each gave breathless smiles. They charged into the room only to hear a familiar voice yell at them.

" _Damnit, get down!_ " Lance barked.

Immediately, the three hit the floor and felt a blast of air rush past them. Another explosion happened and they felt bits of debris pepper them. Natalie cautiously raised her head in time to see Lance fling a hand bomb at a robot. The device detonated and blasted the enemy to pieces. Silence fell, broken only by four sets of panting.

The three new arrivals cautiously stood up to see Lance staring at them. The gunner looked exhausted and was obviously in a lot of pain as he heavily leaned against the wall. Blood and sweat ran down his face, trickling through the dirt and smoke staining it. His left arm dangled uselessly at his side and they could see a crude splint binding a break. His clothes were singed and ripped from the fighting he'd been doing. He seemed astonished to see them, but shook his head and pushed off the wall with a grunt. The gunner turned away from the three by the door.

"What are you guys doing here?" he quietly asked.

Matt frowned at his back, "What do you mean what are we doing here? Didn't you get my note?"

The gunner shrugged, "I haven't read it yet. Besides, I'm pretty sure the last time we spoke your exact words were ' _I never want to see your traitorous face ever again._ ' I figured it was some more bad-mouthing and didn't need another slam before I die."

The swordsman flinched and said, "We were wrong, alright? We aren't going to let you get yourself killed on this asinine mission."

Lance glanced over his shoulder to look at them. The three winced at the empty look in his eyes as he watched them. The gunner shrugged his good arm and said, "Look, you don't need to feel guilty about this. I decided to do it and I accept the consequences. Besides, this whole mess is my fault after all. I should have wiped the computers with the designs when I abandoned my factories. It'll all be taken care of and I'll be out of your hair in a little while, promise."

Natalie shook her head, "Quit talking like that, Lance. We're beyond sorry for what we said, and we do _not_ want you dead. I'm going to heal you and then we're going to help you destroy this place. Once all that has been taken care of, we'll have a long talk about how stupid the three of us were for accusing you with no facts."

Matt nodded, "Please, Lance, let us help you. You're still our friend and we don't want to bury your corpse, regardless of what you think or what's been said. And take your stuff back; I'd much rather you have it and be alive than have a ton of money from your death."

Anna anxiously watched Lance as he seemed to waver in his resolve. She stepped forward to stand in front of him and felt a twinge of sadness at the flash of panic in his eyes at her approach. Obviously, he feared her reaction more than anything else at the moment. The ranger stood on tiptoe and pressed a quick kiss to Lance's dirty cheek.

She pulled back and smiled at his stunned look. "I won't be happy if you die and it would be awkward to explain to people that I refuse to date them because I'm smitten with a dead guy. I'm not going anywhere without you, so you might as well work with us because we're going to tag along and help, anyway," Anna firmly told him.

Lance stared at her then shifted his look over to where Matt and Natalie were nodding their agreement. Finally, his face broke into a relieved smile and he nodded, "Okay. Let's do this."

The other three cheered and with a flash of light, Natalie healed Lance's injuries. The gunner released a sigh of relief and carefully sliced the splint off. He flexed his arm a couple of times with a small grin and looked up to give the mage a thankful nod. Matt stepped forward and held out the gunner's Adventure pouch. As soon as Lance took it, Matt held his fist up.

"Welcome back to the team, Lance," the swordsman said with a grin.

Lance smirked and bumped the offered fist, "Good to be back. You guys ready to make a mess?"

"Always," the others replied at the same time.

Together again, they turned to defeat the latest threat.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _This is something that randomly came to me. I should probably have added more backstory to it, or been made into its own story, but, eh. You can probably figure out the gist of it from what's here._


	9. Turkey Day

**Title:** Turkey Day  
 **Summary** : Whitefall Town's turkeys have escaped and now the party must round them up in time for Turkey Day dinner  
 **Rating** : K  
 **Genre** : Humor  
 **World** : Post EBF4

* * *

Matt, Lance, Anna, and Natalie stood before a short man in the main room of the inn in Whitefall town. They were dressed in their fur armor and wielding various weapons that did added fire elemental damage. Anna carried her Crimson Dragon bow across her back. Natalie gripped her Flameheart in her right hand. Matt was leaning on his Magma Hammer and dozing in the warmth of the inn's fire. Lance leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and his Red Vulcan rifle propped beside him.

"Thanks for coming on such short notice," the man said in a harried voice.

Anna shrugged, "You're lucky you caught us before we headed off for the Kitten Kingdom ruins. Your messengers would never have found us in there."

Natalie nodded and asked, "So what did you need us for?"

The man let out an aggravated sigh, "The chefs accidentally let all of our turkeys loose and the Turkey Day dinner is this evening-"

Matt jerked awake and cut him off, "Turkey Day is today? That's my favorite holiday! So much food…"

The man shot the swordsman a strange look as he started day-dreaming about food and drooled slightly. He cleared his throat and turned back to face Natalie. "As I was saying, the turkeys are loose and running around Whitefall. We need some people to round them up and bring the back before noon."

Lance arched a brow, "And no one here is capable of catching a bunch of pre-roasted meat?"

"More like they're too busy complaining about unfair wages and big business conspiracies," the man corrected with a sigh. "You'll be paid, of course, and welcomed at our feast."

"They're still picketing?" Lance asked with a sigh. "Wastes of air and space, all of them."

The man shrugged, "Good luck getting them to quit. Anyway, we need the turkeys rounded up before noon so that we can get to butchering and cooking them in time for dinner. Will you help?"

Matt stood up straight, "I'm in. We can't let such an awesome holiday be ruined by clumsy cooks and lazy townspeople. Those birds will be back here in no time!"

Anna grinned, "It'll be easy tracking them in the snow and I'll bet they're too fat to fly. This shouldn't be too hard."

Natalie looked a little sad as she said, "Too fat to fly and about to be slaughtered. That's so sad. Still, I guess better killed cleanly then freezing to death. I'll help round them up, too."

Lance grunted and stood away from the wall. "Might as well. I wouldn't mind some proper food for once, either."

The man beamed, "Thank you so much! There are four turkeys. Make sure you don't dismember or poison them. We don't want people getting sick."

"Is killing them cleanly okay, or do you want them captured alive?" Anna asked as she pulled her Crimson Dragon bow off her back.

"Alive would be better. There's a good chance your weapons will obliterate the birds," the man requested. "Just bring them back here as you capture them and we'll take care of the rest.

The party nodded and tucked their weapons away. With a wave, they filed out the door to begin their search.

Almost immediately, they spotted a turkey pecking through the bushes across from the inn. The four spread out to surround the unsuspecting bird. The turkey waddled around in a circle as it searched for something to eat in the leaves. Suddenly its head shot up and it let out a panicked gobble as Natalie lunged towards it. The bird ran straight into Matt's open arms and the swordsman held it tight as Lance readied a weighted net. Soon the first bird was restrained and they deposited it at the inn. The man who had hired them looked stunned at their swift success. The four grinned and headed back outside. Three more birds to go.

The party wandered around for a little while, searching for traces of a turkey's passing. They were walking past the Whitefall altar when Anna froze and held a finger to her lips. The other three listened intently and heard a muffled gobbling. They turned their heads to track the sound and followed it to a line of snow sculptures. The four stopped in confusion as they saw no turkey, but could definitely hear one. They walked between the sculptures and mounds of snow, eyes constantly moving as they searched.

Matt stopped with a frustrated sigh beside to a large snow sculpture. He could swear the turkey was right next to him, but he couldn't see it. His eyes ran over the snow sculptures. There was a mouse with small black rocks for eyes, a regular snowman with a blue scarf and a black hat, a large bird of some sort with a red gobbler, a group of snow cats with… Matt's eyes snapped back to the large bird sculpture. Instantly, the gobbling stopped. The swordsman's face took on a puzzled look, but he shrugged, grinned, and then tackled the snow sculpture.

Snow scattered everywhere with a loud gobbling squawk. Lance came running over with another net and arched a brow at the snow and ice covering the bird. He and Matt bound the bird up and began dragging it back to the inn with orders to the two women to keep searching. Lance cast a glance at the turkey they were dragging.

"It disguised itself as a snow sculpture? That's pretty impressive thinking for dinner," the gunner mused.

Matt shrugged, "Didn't save it, though. I can't wait to eat tonight."

They dropped the bird off at the inn and headed back out to find the last two birds. A sudden uproar by the weapon shop had them breaking into a sprint. Their jaws dropped at the sight of a turkey charging out wearing a chainmail vest and helm. In its beak it carried a sword that it swung to scatter the people protesting outside. The two men exchanged baffled looks then leapt forward to stop the turkey knight.

Matt sprinted to the far side of the bird and dove under a swing. He caught the weapon's hilt with his right hand and smacked the flat of the blade downwards with the other. The turkey lost its grip on the sword, but didn't give up. The bird charged at the stunned swordsman and rammed into him. Matt went down in the snow and heard Lance break out in laughter. A second later and the gunner's laughter stopped as he dove out of the way of the charging feather knight and took a beak-jab to the arm.

Lance's red eyes glared at the bird and he readied another weighted net. With expert aim, he threw the net over the bird and pinned it to the ground. He stepped forward to tie the net together and dragged the bird over to where Matt was still lying in the snow. He nudged the winded swordsman with one foot.

Matt sat up and stared at the struggling bird in the net, "What the heck kind of turkey knows how to put armor on?"

Lance shrugged, "Dunno, but it knows what a sword is, too. Let's drop it off and find Anna and Natz. They've probably found the last turkey by now."

The two men hauled their catch back to the inn. The man stared at the chain mail on the bird and opened his mouth to ask. A second later he shut it again and shook his head. Some things were better left unknown. He waved the two off again and they heard him muttering in confusion. The two men walked outside again and saw smoke.

"They better not have set the last bird on fire," Lance grumbled.

Matt nodded with a distressed look on his face, "Yeah, I don't want them to say we can't eat because there isn't enough food with only three birds."

The two men exchanged looks and broke into a run, heading for the pillar of smoke. They saw a row of trees ahead and heard Anna yelling something that was drowned out by a deep and loud gobble. The two men froze when the ground trembled and a massive turkey head appeared over the treetops. Lance's jaw dropped as he stared at the behemoth bird towering over head.

"What the…" the gunner breathed.

Matt gulped, "Uh, do you think maybe he just forgot to mention that one of them is a twenty ton turkey?"

The turkey cocked its head at the two stunned men and opened its mouth. A glow lit the bird's massive beak and the two threw themselves aside as a jet of fire slammed into the snow where they had been standing. Natalie came running out of the trees when she heard them yell. The mage's dress was smoking and her eyes were wide. A second later and Anna came running out as well.

"I did not sign up to fight a turkey titan" the ranger panted as she skidded to a halt next to them.

Natalie nodded as she warily eyed the turkey as it lost interest in them and began pulling entire trees out of the ground to make a nest. "It was normal sized when we found it, but then it did this weird gobbling chant and five seconds later it looked like that! And was breathing fire!" she told the two men.

"What kind of insane mutations are they doing here?" Matt demanded, "First a turkey ninja, then a turkey knight, and now a turkey mage?"

Lance heaved an aggravated sigh, "Well, we need to stop it. Hey, Anna, do you have any rope?"

The ranger nodded, "Sure, what do you want it for?"

"I'm thinking we wrap it around the monster's legs and trip it. Maybe if we can knock it unconscious it will turn back," the gunner explained.

Anna's eyes widened in realization, "I see, okay, yeah. Let's try it!"

The ranger dug several coils of rope out of her Adventure Pouch and swiftly knotted them together to form one long rope. She handed one end to Lance and the four headed through the trees to confront the massive bird. Matt and Natalie went to go distract the bird while Anna raced across the field with her end of the rope. Lance and Anna ran in circles around the bird, winding the rope around its legs. The turkey ignored the two running around its feet. It had a massive eye focused on the two making loud gobbling noises at it.

Whatever the Matt and Natalie were saying in turkey made the giant bird furious. It let out a bellowing gobble and lunged forwards to attempt to snap them up. The rope around its feet snapped tight and threw the turkey off balance. The bird flapped its giant wings in an attempt to stay upright, but ultimately hit the ground with a massive thud that shook the earth. It hit its head on the frozen ground and let out a woozy gobble.

Before the stunned, yet relieved party's eyes, the massive bird shrank back down to a normal sized turkey. Lance wasted no time tying the bird's beak shut with a strip of cloth. Matt grabbed the dazed turkey's legs and began hauling the final bird back to the inn. Each of them still had looks of wide-eyed shock on their faces as they pushed the inn door open.

The man came out of the kitchen with a wide smile. He opened his mouth to greet them, but whatever he had been about to say was forgotten as he took in their appearance. Natalie's and Anna's dresses were scorched. Lance and Matt were muttering about turkey giants. All of them had shell-shocked looks on their faces, and for some reason, they had gagged the final bird.

"Er, are you four… alright?" the man hesitantly asked.

Lance fixed the man with a sour look, "Peachy, thanks. Next time, warn us that the turkeys you want us to track down are super turkeys."

"Super turkeys?" the man asked in confusion. "How are they super turkeys?"

Natalie shook her head, "Never mind. You'd never believe us anyway."

The man hesitated then shrugged, "Very well, then. You guys got the birds back in amazing time. We'll have plenty of time to cook the birds and prepare the meal. Thank you all so much. I left your payment with the desk lady. Please relax until dinner."

The four nodded and watched the man drag the last bird to the kitchen. Natalie led the way to a table and slumped down on it with a tired sigh. Anna joined her while the two men went to pick up their earnings. The two women heard Matt exclaim about tons of gold and gave tired smiles. Soon, they were all seated around the table and were ten thousand gold pieces richer than before.

"At least he paid well," Lance grumbled as he sipped an energy drink.

Matt nodded and gulped down the rest of the soft drink he had pulled out. He burped and set the empty can aside, "Now we just have to wait until dinner. I'm going to eat so much food."

"Do you think those birds are safe to eat?" Anna asked with a glance at the kitchen.

Natalie laughed, "Can't be worse than Veggie Slimes."

Matt nodded, "Maybe we'll get super powers!"

Lance grunted and propped his feet on the table, "Or maybe you'll turn into a turkey. I think I'll go for the ham, thanks."

"More for me," Matt said with a shrug.

 **OOOOOO**

That evening, after the grand Turkey Day feast, the four heroes headed back to the inn. Each had satisfied smiles on their faces. They walked into the building and paid for some rooms. As they walked past the kitchen, they heard a group of chefs talking in hushed tones.

"You don't suppose the Grow Plus stuff we fed the turkeys had any nasty side effects we should have warned the eaters about, do you?" one asked.

"Nah, it smelled and tasted fine, I doubt it was a problem in any way," a second man said.

A third chef spoke up, "And we never saw any of those side effects they listed in the birds."

"Eh, I think the stuff was bogus, anyway. ' _May cause an increase in intelligence and magical abilities'_ seems pretty impossible to me," the second chef replied.

The four outside the kitchen exchanged glances, wondering if they should tell the chefs to never feed their livestock Grow Plus ever again. Ultimately, they decided against it. The chefs would never believe the tale, anyway. They decided that they would just steer clear of Whitefall Town come next year's Turkey Day.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Happy Thanksgiving/Turkey Day, everyone! Hope you all laughed at least a little! Stay safe and eat lots of food!_


	10. Building Bonds

**Title:** Building Bonds  
 **Summary** : It can be hard to be surrounded be people of fame and note-worthy talent. Especially if those people are already good friends. Anna has discovered this, and it places strain on her place in the party.  
 **Rating** : T  
 **Warnings** : Minor spoilers for EBF4, blood, mild sexual themes  
 **Genre** : Hurt/comfort, friendship  
 **World** : EBF4

* * *

Anna sat on the opposite side of the fire from Lance, Matt, and Natalie. They were in the middle of Lankyroot, and on their way to Goldenbrick. The ranger was quietly attaching a new bowstring to her weapon and listening to the other three joking on the far side of the fire. She glanced up and set her repaired weapon to the side and watched them.

Matt was currently attempting to balance three unopened beer cans on his forehead. Lance was periodically messing his friend's balance up by flicking bits of food at him. Natalie was laughing as she watched their antics. Every little while, she would say something that made both men crack up. They were relaxed, cheerful, and completely oblivious to the fourth person in their party. Not even once did they look over at her.

Anna let out a quiet sigh and shrugged to herself. It wasn't a surprise, really. The three had been traveling and fighting together for three or four years now. It made sense that they had formed a tightknit group. She had only been with them for three weeks, and she didn't think they trusted her all that much. With a small frown, she wondered if she would ever be as close as they were. She doubted it.

They seemed to innately know when something was wrong with another member, and were swift at solving whatever that problem was. They never really had to talk in combat to take a foe down. Instead, they worked with swift and lethal efficiency that showed exactly how they had saved the world several times. It was stunning to watch them work, but also a little disheartening. She could take down the same foes, but it was harder, and often required the aid of one of the others; it was never as efficient, either. Sometimes, she wondered if they thought of this quest as a baby-sitting job.

Another round of laughs from across the fire had Anna standing up. She needed to get away for a little while, maybe hunt some monsters or practice her archery. Brooding over how well other people got along was not healthy and likely to breed some serious discontent. She announced that she was heading off for a little while, and slipped away from the campsite, unnoticed by the other three joking and laughing. Bitterly, she wondered if they even cared.

 **OOOOOO**

Natalie had tears running down her face from laughter. Matt had finally gotten the beer cans balanced only to have Lance throw a grape at him. The swordsman bounced the cans off his head, caught the grape in his mouth and started juggling, smirking at Lance all the while. The gunner's face was disappointed, but he shrugged and clapped at the impressive act as Matt set the cans down.

"Might have to send him to join the circus," Lance smirked.

Natalie laughed harder, "He'd eat the animals."

Matt chuckled, "Can't argue with that. Besides, I'd suck at the tight-rope. Balance is Anna's thing. Right, Anna?" He frowned when she didn't reply, and glanced over to see if she had fallen asleep.

That was when they realized the ranger's absence. The other three jolted when they saw her bedroll and the discarded bowstring, but no Anna. They exchanged glances of surprise, thinking that it was strange that she hadn't told them she was heading out. Matt mused that he thought they should have heard her go, but Lance refuted that. Anna was a hunter, and if she could slip right up behind an animal without it hearing her in a dead-silent forest, then slipping off from three humans who were making a lot of noise was child's play. Natalie eyed the abandoned bedroll.

"Why'd she not say anything, though?" she wondered.

Matt shrugged, "Maybe she expects to be back shortly. It's not like she needs us to defend her when nature calls."

Lance nodded with a disgruntled frown, "True, but you'd think she'd at least mention it."

"And since when do any of us ever mention the call of nature?" Matt asked with an arched brow.

Natalie huffed, "Can we stop talking about nature's calling now?" She snorted at the huffs of laughter the two men gave, "So give her ten minutes, and then go find her?"

The two men nodded and went back to joking and playing with their food. Natalie shot another glance at Anna's bedroll with a small frown. It was weird that the ranger had just up and left. Normally, she was the one who demanded they stick together in the wilderness. They didn't even know how long ago the ranger had left. Finally, she shrugged and rejoined Matt and Lance in the conversation.

Ten minutes came and went with no sign of Anna. Lance grunted and heaved himself to his feet, followed by Matt and Natalie. They stepped around the dwindling campfire and headed into the trees past Anna's bedroll. Soon, they were surrounded by thick trees and carefully picking their way through the gloom. There were frequent rustles in the bushes on either side, but nothing ever came out to attack them.

Then, they heard a familiar sound; the thrumming-thwack of an arrow being fired. They exchanged glances of concern and began moving as quickly as possible. The sound stopped abruptly when they drew close to its location. Matt pushed through a bush and stepped into a clearing. He cocked his head in confusion at the sight of dozens of arrows lodged into a tree and glanced around for Anna.

Lance moved forwards to inspect the arrows and gave a low, impressed whistle at how close the arrows were to each other. One spot had been hit in the exact same place four times. It was marksmanship of the highest caliber, and he realized he'd never know just how accurate Anna could be. He knew she was accurate, but four arrows in the exact same spot was insanity. On top of that, he knew she could shoot incredibly quickly. It made for a deadly combination. He stepped back and glanced around. Clearly, Anna had come out here to practice her skills, but she was nowhere to be seen now.

"Hey, Anna?" Natalie called. She listened to the echo of her own voice and frowned when there was no reply. The mage glanced back at her friends, "She should have heard that if she was here not two minutes ago."

Matt nodded with a frown, "Do you think she's ignoring us?"

Lance grunted, "She'd better not be. I don't want to spend the entire night scouring the jungle, looking for her."

Unbeknownst to them, the ranger was standing on a thick branch over their heads, watching them. She had climbed the tree upon hearing crashes in the foliage, thinking some monster was coming to inspect the sounds of her practicing. Instead, the very people she had come out her to avoid had pushed out of the bushes. She didn't want to talk to them yet; she still had some things she needed to work through. Though she did feel a little guilty that she had interrupted their fun, she knew they would go back to it in a little while when they got sick of looking for her. Finally, the three grouped up and left the clearing.

Anna listened to them calling her name again, but remained silent. She felt a small twinge of hurt as she heard Lance grousing to Matt, but pushed it aside. It was nothing new, they usually complained about the things she said and did. Anna raised her bow from where she was perched on the branch and took another shot at the tree. The dull thud of an arrow slamming home rang through the trees again and was followed in rapid succession by two more.

The ranger dropped out of the tree and headed over to her target. She lifted one hand and ran it down the bark past the arrows lodged in the wood with a small frown on her face. Her hand dropped to her side and clenched into a fist. Tears filled her eyes as she stared at the three arrows lodged halfway into the wood just a few centimeters apart. It still wasn't accurate enough. Lance could slam two bullets home in the exact same place. Natalie didn't need to worry about accuracy when her attacks exploded. Matt could probably slice the whole damn tree in half.

Anna turned to slump down against the base of the tree. She looked up at the dark sky through the branches and let the tears in her eyes drip down her cheeks. If it weren't for the fact that she needed to retrieve the jewels, she'd just head home now. The others were more than capable of handling the fight on their own. If anything, she was slowing them down. She wondered if she could persuade them to drop the jewels off at their rightful altars when they got them. They knew how dangerous the objects were now, so she doubted they'd keep them. Although maybe they would; they probably still thought that the jewels would sell for a pretty gold.

There was another loud rustle, and Anna dismally looked up, expecting to see the three coming back to check the sounds of her archery. Instead, her eyes fell on a Large Veggie Slime. With a sigh, she stood up and launched a Spark Arrow at the monster. The stun enchantment let her also snap of a Combo Shot. The creature made a strange popping noise as it died. Behind the slime was an Earth Golem. Anna's eyes widened. That wasn't a monster she wanted to fight on her own.

Still, she had chosen to come out here and had ignored the others when they came looking for her. Now she got to reap the consequences of her actions. Anna's face set in a determined glare and she snapped off an Aqua Arrow and immediately threw herself to the side as spires of earth formed around her feet. She felt one tear a cut in her leg and let out a hiss as she launched a Frost Arrow. The water spread across the monster froze solid, giving Anna the opportunity to slam it with another Aqua Arrow. The monster groaned and collapsed into pieces.

Anna lowered her weapon and knelt down to check the wound on her leg. That was when the earth erupted around her again. She let out a choked gasp as stone dug into her stomach. With a cough that splattered blood on the ground, she looked up to see a second Earth Golem had been behind the first. Anna shakily stood up and lifted her bow. A magic wind surged around her as she drew her arrow back as far as it could possibly go. With a surge of power, the arrow flashed through the air, blasting straight through the golem, blowing it to pieces. The arrow kept going through the trees past the monster, tearing branches and vines off with crashes and cracks. There were no more monsters behind the golem.

With a shuddering, pained sigh, Anna lowered her weapon and pressed one hand to her stomach. She let out a gasp of pain and began stumbling back towards camp. Blood oozed from the wound to drip onto the ground as she staggered through the trees. Each step sent a flare of agony through her body, but she kept going. All the way, she berated herself for leaving her gear aside from her bow at camp.

Despite the agony she was in and the creeping dizziness, Anna made it to within sight of the camp. No one else was there. Tears filled Anna's eyes as she let out a low moan of pain and slumped to her knees and then her side. She was so close to her flute to heal herself. Slowly, her eyes began to slip shut as she listened to the suddenly loud pounding of her pulse in her ears. Distantly, she heard a shout and a scream, and pried her eyes open once more.

" _Anna!_ " Natalie shrieked upon sight of the bloodied and dying ranger.

They had heard the crashing sound of Anna's Power Blast and went rushing towards it. To their shock, they found themselves back at the clearing they knew Anna had been practicing at. There were a few distinct changes to the scenery this time; namely, two dead golems and a thick trail of blood. They had set off at a sprint, following the blood as it headed back to their campsite. There, they had found Anna collapsed on the ground in a pool of her own blood.

The ranger let out the faintest of moans and began trying to push herself upright. Her hand slipped in her blood and she gave up. Lance sprinted forwards and rolled Anna over to reveal a massive gash in her stomach. Instantly, he ripped his jacket off and pressed it into the wound to staunch the flow while Natalie cast the strongest healing spell she possibly could. For a few tense seconds, nothing seemed to happen. Then, the wound sealed off, leaving a tear in the ranger's Green Dress, but smooth skin.

Natalie lowered her staff with a heavy sigh of relief, "She should be fine."

Lance pulled his jacket away and looked at it with a scowl. The camo green fabric was horribly stained and would be a complete nightmare to wash. It would probably be easier to just throw out and replace. "I'm going to kill her," he muttered as he tucked the shirt away.

"Right after you saved her?" Matt asked with a grin.

"That's the best time," Lance said.

Anna's head rolled to the side with a soft sigh before her eyes opened. She stared in front of her for a brief moment before her eyes widened with a gasp as her hand shot to her stomach. She jolted up when she felt no wound and realized Natalie must have healed her. The ranger flinched at the clearing of a throat and looked up with shadowed eyes.

Natalie was watching her with an irritated frown, "Want to tell us what you were doing besides dying?"

Lance nodded, "We have a lot of things we like to enjoy. Finding a vanished party member bleeding out is not one of those things."

Anna winced and looked away. "Nothing important," she mumbled.

Matt's eyebrows shot up, "It must have been something fairly important to make you head out alone without a word and ignore us when we're calling for you."

"I told you I was heading out to practice," Anna hissed in a bitter voice.

Her words took the other three by surprise, but her bitter tone did more. Anna had a lot of moods she swung in and out of, but they had never heard or seen one close to the anger simmering in her now. They exchanged glances, wondering what the problem was. Finally, Lance shrugged.

"Okay, so we didn't hear you," he said, "You could have made sure before going. One of us would have come with you."

Anna's eyes shot up to glare at Lance, and the rage in them actually made him step back. "Maybe I didn't want you guys there," she spat.

Matt and Natalie flinched and stared at her in shock. Matt opened his mouth to speak, but Anna swept on.

"Maybe I wanted some time alone. Maybe I wanted to be in a place where I felt comfortable and wanted. Maybe I wanted to prove to myself that I have good skills and am not a dead-weight," she hissed before letting out a bitter laugh. "I guess not; can't even go an hour without almost dying."

Lance shook his head, "You took down two golems by yourself. That's a tough feat, and practically impossible to do without being injured."

Matt nodded, "And what about going out into the woods to feel wanted. We want you here."

"Oh, yeah, I can really see that," Anna said with heavy sarcasm. "You don't talk to me, you don't see me; you didn't even hear me when I said I was heading out. You don't care that I'm there. And the worst part is that I can't even blame you. I get that your friends, and have been for a while. It's nice. I wish I had friends as good as you, but I don't."

The others were stunned into silence. Clearly, this was not a recent issue for Anna. She had to have been brooding over it for some time, silently hurting, and still managing to fool them with her usual attitude. The ranger heaved herself to her feet and moved to roll her bedroll up. She stuffed it away and started walking away. Matt sprang forwards to catch her by the wrist.

"Where are you going?" he asked quietly.

Anna shot him a look over her shoulder with dull, green eyes, "Away, what's it look like? I can't take it anymore. I know I'm strong, but I can't see it around you guys. And strength is all I really have anymore. I'll stop Godcat on my own. Thanks for your help up to now."

Matt held her back, "Why can't you see that you're strong?"

"Do I really need to spell it out?" Anna asked in a tired voice. She waved a hand at them before letting it limply fall by her side, "You guys are legends. Lance successfully took over most of the known world. You and Natalie managed to stop him. Together, you took down a chained god of destruction and death."

Lance spoke up quietly, "And yet, you took down Matt."

Anna waved her hand dismissively, "Only because I caught him by surprise and he was weighed down."

Natalie exchanged a worried glance with the gunner. They were going to lose this argument, and they knew it. Anna had several valid points. They had been excluding her, albeit, not on purpose. They were very strong, though she didn't quite seem to grasp that she was just as strong. Matt, however, wasn't quite ready to give up, though.

"Fight me, Anna," he said in a level voice. He met her eyes as she jerked around to stare at him in shock. "You say you aren't as strong as we are, and that you only beat me by surprise. Maybe that was why you won back then, but that won't be why you win now."

Natalie stepped forwards, "No, Matt. This isn't the way to solve the issue. Besides, you two could kill each other."

Matt shot her a look, "We'll lay some ground rules, don't worry. First: no potentially lethal or maiming strikes. Second: no inflicting status effects. That means no poison, no stunning, no freezing, and no burning. Third: we only fight until one of us is either disarmed, gives up, or takes five hits that draw blood. Agreed?"

Anna backed away and shook her head, "No. I won't fight you."

"And why not?" he asked.

"Look, even if we aren't really friends, I know you well enough that an armed match against you is not something I want to do," the ranger said.

Lance spoke up from where he was standing, "He listed the basic rules for when we spar, Anna. Matt knows what he's getting into, and Natalie is here to heal the both of you when it's over."

Anna glared, "It isn't going to be over because it isn't happening! I. Will. Not. Fight. You. Matt. Got it? My problem is not whether I can beat you or not, or how good my combat skills really are. It's a matter of feeling like I belong. I will _never_ be a part of your team. You have your dynamics set, and I'm only here to retrieve Greenwood's jewel. Even if I were to stay until then, I'd be heading home after words."

She whipped around and made to stalk off, only to be stopped again by Matt. The ranger let out a snarl and jerked her arm free. She spun around and glared at him, her voice rising to a yell, "You don't need me here! You don't want me here! I don't want to be here! So let me go in peace!"

Matt had a hurt look in his eyes, but he merely said, "Fight me, Anna."

Anna let out a wordless shriek of frustration. She glared at the swordsman, "For the love of Godcat! Fine, I'll fight you, but I'm leaving after that!" She whirled and stomped to the far side of the clearing and drew her bow. "Ready," she snapped.

Matt nodded and walked to the other side. Lance and Natalie moved to stand by the fire to watch. The full moon washed the clearing in silver light. It flashed off of Matt's sword as he drew it, and glinted off of the head of the arrow Anna had laid against her bow.

"Ready," Matt said in a level voice, sword in hand.

Natalie glanced between them and called, "Go!"

Instantly, five arrows were in the air, headed for Matt. The swordsman's blade whirled, slashing them all out of the air. He lunged forwards to attack Anna, but found himself stumbling when a log burst out of the ground at his feet. He regained his footing in time to narrowly dodge another arrow. The fabric on his shirt ripped in its passing, but his skin remained untouched.

Matt ran in a random zig-zag towards Anna and brought his sword down towards her. She deflected his weapon with her bow and slashed him across the arm with an arrow. Matt pulled back with a hiss. He heard Lance call point to Anna. Still, a fierce smile spread across the swordsman's face. To his relief, a matching one was forming on Anna's. She back flipped out of his sword slash and danced back a few paces for more range.

"Do you know how many fights I had with Natalie when I first met her?" Matt asked as he ducked an arrow.

Anna frowned at the sudden question, "No, nor do I really see why that matters right now." She shot another arrow and felt a rush of satisfaction as it nicked Matt's thigh. Lance called out another point to her.

Matt retaliated by unleashing a Quick Slash on Anna, scoring a hit on her arm that Lance called out. "Dozens of fights. I didn't want her there at first; I did best on my own," Matt told Anna, "I was certain that a girl could never keep up with me, and would never be as strong. She was determined to prove me wrong. And she did."

"Good for her," Anna muttered. She didn't see why she was suddenly getting a backstory from him.

Matt nodded as he made to run towards Anna with his sword overhead. "It was good for her, and for me. She's one of my best friends now," he agreed.

He brought his sword down at the same moment Anna released another arrow. They each scored a hit, bringing Anna up to three points, and Matt up to two. A barrier of logs sprang up, separating Anna from Matt. By the time the swordsman cut the obstructions down, Anna was several yards away with an arrow already off. Matt rolled to the side and listened to the arrow slam into a tree behind him.

"I didn't have nearly as many fights with Lance," Matt told her as he slammed his sword into the ground for a Quake attack. He watched Anna lightly ride the spikes of earth, allowing them to catapult her. She flipped to land a short distance away. "Natalie, however, had tons of issues with Lance," he went on as another arrow flashed past, catching his uninjured arm. A fourth point went to Anna.

"Oh, really? I can't imagine why," Anna said sarcastically, earning a snort from Natalie that made her grin.

Matt nodded and lunged in with a stab that grazed Anna's side, earning him a third point. "Oh, yes. He made fun of her chest, he mocked her magic, he randomly groped her," Matt listed with a grin, "And then he got set on fire, and that was the end of that. Well, mostly." He grunted as he slashed horizontally at Anna, barely nicking her wrist, but drawing the blood for his fourth point.

Anna rolled her eyes, but a grin tugged at her lips. She lunged at Matt with the speed of a viper while he was recovering from his slash, and stabbed an arrow into his leg. She pulled back before the head of the arrow went too far. The point was her fifth and won her the match. She lowered her bow and grinned as Lance and Natalie clapped. Matt planted his sword in the ground and used it to keep his weight off his injured leg until Natalie had healed both of them. Then he stepped forwards and shook Anna's hand.

"Good match," he said with an easy grin. "You're free to go now."

Lance's and Natalie's jaws dropped. But to their surprise and relief, Anna shook her head. Matt merely nodded as though he had expected her response.

"No, you're right Matt. It takes time to build friendship," Anna said in a quiet voice. "Maybe now that my problem is in the open, I can work past it."

Matt shook his head and gestured to include all of them, " _We_ will work past it. You're right that we were ignoring you. It wasn't on purpose, but it has been happening. You're a member of the team, and, whether you think so or not, you're already our friend."

Lance grunted and looked over at Anna, "That was a good match; very nice use of attacking magic to distract. I'll have to see if any of mine will work like that." He glanced at Matt and added, "You should probably also know that Matt only spars with his friends."

Natalie nodded, "It's true. I'm glad you're staying, Anna. I'd miss having another girl around for once. No more wandering off alone, please? Make sure we know that you're going. And don't bottle up problems like that."

Anna smiled and nodded. She followed the others back to the campfire and sat down on her bed roll. To her confusion, Natalie flopped next to her with a brush. The mage worked to undo her orange hair from its pony tail and began brushing it out. As she brushed, she chatted with Anna random things like her favorite foods, an idea for a new magic attack, and help with braiding her hair.

At first, Anna felt awkward. She was used to being left to her own devices. But soon, she was talking about the same things and giggling. Matt and Lance sat on the other side of the fire, cleaning their weapons and watching the two women. Lance glanced at Matt.

"Well handled, Matt," he murmured.

Matt shrugged and sheathed his sword, "It was nothing too special. Just my usual 'fight until things are better or deader.'"

Lance smirked, "Well this would definitely be better. I hope it'll stay better. Keep looking up, I guess."

"Why are we looking up?" Anna asked.

"To check out your assets, duh," Lance said with a smirk and a pointed glance at her chest. He snickered at her mortified expression, "This is great, now I have two women to hit on."

Anna and Natalie spluttered with red cheeks. They exchanged glances and nods. Ten seconds later, and Lance had a perfect outline of his body made of arrows and ice spikes. He yelped his surrender and muttered about insane females as he moved free for the attacks. He flopped onto his bedroll and gave them a sleepy goodnight. Soon, Anna and Natalie followed his example. Matt remained sitting up for a moment, watching his sleeping teammates with a grin.

" _It's good to have friends,_ " he thought as he lied down.

Soon, he was asleep as well.

* * *

 ** _A/N_** _: Just another random idea that popped into my mind. I know that in-game, Anna is more upset by Natalie's chest size, but oh well. Let me know what you all think of it!_


	11. Winter Lights

**Title** : Winter Lights  
 **Summary** : A happy winter holiday in Greenwood Village.  
 **Rating** : K+  
 **Genre** : Friendship, mild romance  
 **World** : Post EBF4

* * *

Lance, Matt, and Natalie crunched through the light dusting of snow on the floor of the forest on their way to visit Anna. The watery morning light was clear and aside from the occasional evergreen, all of the trees were bare of leaves. The three stopped in surprise when they entered Greenwood Village. The people and idols of the town bustled everywhere, setting up decorations or admiring ones already put out. Everyone was smiling and wearing bright, festive clothing. The idols had small wreaths of woven sticks painted gold and silver and sparkling ribbons wrapped around their bodies. The sounds of flutes playing cheery music drifted through the trees.

Lance glanced around, "I didn't know Greenwood had a winter festival."

"Weird that Anna didn't mention it," Matt agreed, "I wonder if they'll have food."

Natalie grinned, "Trust you to think of food first. Besides, we haven't seen her since summer and this is a surprise visit. Why would she tell us about a winter celebration way back then?"

A random villager paused in his trek past the village entrance with an open box in his hands. He blinked at the sight of the three standing there before breaking out in a smile. "Here to see Anna?" the man called over. His smile widened when they nodded and he jerked his head towards the food court, "She's setting up over there. It's a great time of year to stop by; this evening is the start of the Festival of Winter Lights. Anna will be happy to see you, by the way. She's missed you guys quite a lot."

Natalie grinned and thanked the man for his help. The mage led the way over to the food court only for them to pause in confusion when they arrived. The three glanced around, but ranger was nowhere to be seen.

"That's weird, the man said she was over here somewhere," Matt said with a confused frown.

Lance shrugged, "Maybe she just moved to somewhere else?"

A sudden rustle and a jingle in the trees overhead had the three looking up. They grinned as they spotted Anna hanging upside down in a tree, fixing a string of paper lanterns to the branches. She had a silver ribbon braided in her green hair; a small silver bell bauble held the braid tied. Other than that, her outfit was a light grey tunic with a green vine pattern stitched on the hems. The ranger's tongue was poking out from between her teeth in concentration as she finished tying the end to one of the leafless branches. With a small cheer she got the knot of the lanterns string tied and tilted her head up to look down at the ground. Anna's eyes widened at the sight of her three friends grinning up at her.

"Natz, Matt, Lance!" Anna cried in delight, "I had no idea you guys were planning to stop by! Gimme a sec and I'll be down." With that she swung herself upright and nimbly jumped to a lower branch before dropping to land in a crouch on the ground. The ranger stood up with a bright smile and launched herself forward to give her three visitors hugs. "I'm so glad to see you! How have you guys been? Did you fight anything cool? Ticked off any new gods? Gotten lots of loot? Did Matt get high again?" she asked rapidly as she pulled back.

Natalie laughed, "Slow down! First off it's great to see you, too! You look to be doing well."

The ranger grinned, "I've been good; bored, but good. What are you three doing here? Not that it's a problem, of course."

"We just thought we would swing by since we were in the area," Matt said with a grin.

"It looks like you're pretty busy, though," Lance commented. He waved a hand around at the many decorations that had been set out, "What's this Winter Lights Festival about?"

"Traditionally, it's a celebration to give thanks to the earth as it rests and pray for a bountiful next year. We perform a ceremonial song and dance that praises and blesses the spirits of the forest," Anna explained. She gave a small shrug, "It isn't really the main point of the festival anymore, even if it's the main event. We still do the rituals, of course, but now it's mostly just a celebration to keep people's spirits up during the dark months. Nothing better than a big party to make people smile! There will be lots of food, songs, dancing, bonfires, story-telling, rituals, and so on."

The ranger hesitated, glancing back at a box sitting open on one of the tables behind her with more paper lanterns poking out. Turning back she gave her friends a sheepish smile, "We're a little behind schedule for decorating with the usually laziness to blame, though. You guys can go warm up at my house, if you want; I'll head back as soon as I'm done here."

"Want some help?" Natalie offered with a smile, "If nothing else, we can pass things up so you don't have to climb up and down all the time."

"That would be awesome, thanks," Anna said with a grin, "Let me head back up the tree and I'll describe what I need. There should be a long hook leaning against the wall just inside the food shop you can use to pass things up."

The ranger swiftly climbed back into the tree and requested the first item: a string of various-sized clear, glass balls. As she twined them into the branches she called down, "I think there's some mulled cider warming inside, if you want to grab some, Matt. There might even be a few cookies, as well. Nab me a mug, too?"

"Cookies!" the swordsman cheered. He paused briefly, glancing at Matt and Natalie, "Do you guys want some cider and cookies?" The two said yes for some cider and he dashed off inside.

Lance rummaged through the various decorations in the box and passed them out to Natalie. "So what have you been up to, Anna?" he asked.

"Eh, the usual: killing monsters in the woods, tending to problems the idols bring up," Anna replied. She stood up on the branch she was decorating and leapt to another tree. She snagged a branch and pulled herself onto it. Snow showered down from the limb as she kept talking, "It's been boring, really. Everything kind of has been after our quest to get the jewels back. How about for you guys, anything interesting happen?"

Natalie sighed, "Not really. We heard about a mountain covered in powerful monsters that we might head for next. You're welcome to come along, if you want."

Matt came back with four mugs of mulled cider, two in each hand, and three cookies stuffed in his mouth. "Mm, thrs marm mrelly grud," he mumbled around the food in his mouth.

"Mind repeating that once your mouth is cleared?" Lance asked sarcastically as he accepted his mug of warm cider and set it on the table.

The swordsman poked the cookies all the way in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed them. "I said these are really good," he repeated with a content smile. He held a mug of cider to Natalie, "The drink is good, too."

Natalie passed another string of paper lanterns up to Anna before accepting the drink. She took a long appreciative sip and sighed in contentment. "I haven't had mulled cider in years," she said with a smile.

"Really?" Anna asked, "We have it every winter here." The ranger stretched out precariously on the branch she sat on to lay out the lantern string. She grinned, leaning back, "There, that should do it for the food court! Thanks for the help, guys."

"No prob-" Matt's sentence broke off in a shout when Anna's arms waved as she lost her balance on the branch and began to fall.

Lance jumped forward just in time to catch the ranger before she hit the ground. "And that's why we use ladders," he said as he set Anna back on her feet.

"Technically, you can slip off ladders, too," Natalie reminded, "Are you okay, Anna?"

Anna's face was a little pale, but she nodded. "A little shaken, but I'm okay. Thanks for the catch, Lance; you spared me a nasty injury," she said to the gunner with a grateful smile.

Lance flushed and mumbled into his mug. He held the last mug Matt had brought out to the ranger, who accepted it with another smile. The gunner then turned and moved to sit at one of the tables. The other three joined him and they sat there sipping their drinks. Finally, the chill wind drove them to abandon the food court for Anna's house.

As they walked through the village, people greeted the three visitors with smiles and laughs. Most of the decorations had been put up; candles that burned with witch-fire crackled in various colors around the village and strings of lanterns and baubles hung all around. Idols bounced around with rings of bells jingling on their arms. Many people sang lilting songs of glittering snow and warm fires.

"Sorry for the mess; I wasn't expecting any guests," Anna apologized as she let them in. She laughed and amended, "Actually, even if I knew you were coming, it would probably still be a mess."

She moved to stoke the dampened fire. Soon, the flames flickered higher and warmth washed over the four gathered around the stone fireplace. The ranger moved to a closet and pulled a number of mismatched blankets out and distributed them before settling down in between Lance and Natalie. The four friends sat in silence, simply enjoying the heat and companionship.

Finally Natalie spoke, "So are we going to need to dress up? I don't think I have anything that will really fit for a traditional celebration." She had a slightly upset look on her face.

"I hate dressing up," Matt whined, "Please tell me we don't have to."

"I second that. I'm not doing anything sparkly," Lance grumbled.

Anna laughed, "You don't have to dress up, don't worry. The only ones who have to wear any kind of costume are the ones who participate in the ritual blessing the spirits." She grinned at the put-out look on Natalie's face, "I have a few ribbons we can do your hair up with, if you want Natz. I might even have a spare dress we can put you in."

The mage's face lightened into a bright smile. "Yes," she cheered, "I've missed having you around, Anna. All the guys ever want to do is kill stuff and eat it."

"Hey! Killing and cooking your own food is very manly," Matt exclaimed defensively. He drooled slightly as he added, "And tasty."

Lance rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Not to mention necessary."

Natalie pouted, "Well I'm not a man, and half the stuff we eat makes us sick."

"Don't worry, Natz. We can be girly, and there will be food that won't make you sick," Anna assured, her lips twitching as she suppressed a laugh. She threw a glance at Matt and added, "As long as you don't eat too much, anyway."

"No such thing," Matt refuted with an easygoing grin.

They fell silent again, going back to simply sitting under warm blankets in front of a warm fire. Matt stretched his arms over his head and flopped to lie on his stomach, resting his head on his arms. He let out a lazy sigh and stared into the flickering flames. Natalie flopped down on her back beside him and stared up at the ceiling. Finally Anna stood up and moved to her closet, earning her a glance from Lance. She rummaged through her clothes for a while and withdrew a long, blue and white dress.

"Here Natz, try this one on," the ranger said.

Natalie scrambled up with an excited look on her face. She accepted the dress and vanished behind a curtain. There were a few moments of rustling and then Natalie stepped out wearing a long dress with a white skirt, blue corset, and blue patterns on the sleeves and hem. Anna looked her over for a moment and nodded. It was a little tight around Natalie's bust, but not too bad. Anna held up a sliver ribbon with a grin and Natalie smiled. The men watched with raised eyebrows at the girlish display before shrugging.

Before long, Anna had woven the silver ribbon into a braid in Natalie's hair. The mage glanced over her shoulder with a bright smile, eyes sparkling. She twisted and gave Anna a hug before turning to Matt and Lance. She grinned and the men smiled back.

"You look good, Natz," Anna said with a smile.

Lance shot a look over at the ranger, "Are you going to dress up, too?"

Anna shrugged, "Nah, what I'm wearing is good."

Natalie pouted at her, "No. You're dressing up, too. That way, I don't feel silly."

"Fine, fine," Anna laughed.

The ranger rummaged about her closet again and pulled out a long, light gray dress with silvery thread embroidered in the hem. She vanished behind the curtain and swiftly tugged the dress on before stepping out. Natalie nodded her approval, eyes flicking over the ranger's form and her already braided hair. Lance let out a sigh and exchanged a glance with Matt who shrugged. Neither man understood what was so great about dressing up, and figured they probably never would.

Anna's head tilted and she turned to look out her window. "Looks like they're getting started; the bonfires are being lit," she announced. "Food probably won't be out for another hour, but I bet they'll have some snacks."

Matt scrambled up and bolted out the door at the first mention of food. Lance rolled his eyes as he headed after the swordsman, though he paused just outside the door to wait for the girls to catch up. Together, they walked to the gathering of people around the largest bonfire. Already, some people were dancing while others played songs on wooden flutes and ceramic ocarinas. A few people chimed into the music with clapping or singing.

Anna grinned and tugged her friends closer to the warmth of the blazing flames. Natalie laughed as she was dragged along, and even Lance broke out in a smile. They spotted Matt near a group of people beside one of the long tables where small snacking foods had been set out. The swordsman waved to them with a handful of chips in his hand and a soft drink can in the other. Natalie broke off to go stand with him while Anna dragged Lance to sit near the fire to watch the dancers. After a few minutes she was singing along with the other villagers, a brilliant smile on her face.

After a couple of hours, the main dinner was set out. There were entire pig roasts, platters of chicken, baskets of fresh bread, and bowls of salad and fruit. Matt immediately claimed four legs of chicken for himself along with half a loaf of bread. He grinned down at Natalie as she sighed at him and snagged some food for herself. The pair passed Lance and Anna on their way to the food, and settled down by the fire. They were joined by Anna and Lance a few minutes later, by which point Matt had already finished his food and was eyeing Natalie's. He grinned at the ranger as she sat down.

"Best festival ever," Matt said with satisfaction.

Anna laughed, "You'd say that about any celebration with lots of food."

Lance snorted, "The only thing that could make this better for him would be if there was some beer."

Natalie shuddered, "No. No beer for Matt. He'll start challenging trees to duels, I just know it." She grinned over at Anna and added, "The food is really good, though. And everyone's so cheerful!"

"Yup, this is a favorite holiday for Greenwood," Anna said with a wide smile. "And don't worry about the beer. We've had too many problems in the past with drunken shenanigans to have it out anymore."

Matt shrugged as he sipped his soft drink. "Whatever, this stuff is good, too," he said. His eyes drifted to the people still twirling about in the open space between the bonfires. "So when do they do the actual blessing ceremony?" he asked.

Anna tilted her head, "Usually at the end. It probably won't be until midnight, maybe even later. Until then, people do what they're doing now. There might be some games or contests going on, but I'm not sure about that."

"What kinds of games?" Matt asked with a grin.

"Umm, marksmanship, tug-of-war, eating contests," Anna listed slowly, eyes shut in thought. "I think there are some others, but we usually only do those three."

"Are we allowed to join?" Lance asked with a gleam in his eyes. "And are guns allowed?"

Anna shot him a glance, "Yes and yes. I bet my archery is better than your shooting, though. We might have to put Matt on the opposite team from us in tug-of-war. It wouldn't be fair, otherwise."

Natalie laughed, "I say put him on a team by himself. He'd probably still win."

Matt grinned, "I'd like to try that."

"Sure, I'll talk to whoever is running it," Anna agreed with a chuckle as she stood up. "In the meantime, want to dance?"

Natalie sprang up, "Yes!"

Lance and Matt exchanged uneasy looks. Lance shook his head and Matt did the same.

"I don't know how to dance," Matt said with a shrug.

"I wouldn't be caught dead dancing," Lance said flatly.

Anna and Natalie pouted at them.

"But it's fun!" Anna protested.

Natalie nodded, "I can teach you to dance. It doesn't really matter what you do so long as you have fun."

Matt heaved a sigh and stood up. "Fine, but I am not apologizing for any injuries."

The mage grinned and snagged his hand to tug him out. Anna snickered as she watched Matt stiffly follow Natalie's examples. The swordsman looked highly uncomfortable, though he grinned when Natalie shot him a smile. Soon he relaxed and moved fluidly, the balance he used in battle aiding him. Anna turned her eyes back on Lance who remained stubbornly seated.

"Aw, come on," Anna pleaded. "It'll be fun!"

"No," Lance huffed.

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"Why not?" Anna asked with her hands on her hips.

Lance arched a brow at her, "I don't want to."

"But why?" Anna said with a pout.

"First off, I don't have anyone to dance with. Second off, I don't like dancing," Lance said. "You can go have your… _fun_. I'll be right here, cheerfully sitting."

Anna grinned and said, "I'm dancing with you, and I refuse to take no as an answer."

Lance snorted, "Try and make me dance, and I'll make you dance. At gunpoint."

Anna rolled her eyes and grabbed Lance's wrist. With surprising strength, she hauled him to his feet and began dragging him out to where the others were dancing. Lance dug his heels in like a stubborn mule, forming two furrows in the hard ground, and halting Anna's pull. The ranger heaved on his arm, but found him immovable. Finally she let go and turned to look at Lance.

"I want to dance," she said to him with a small, sad frown. "Just one? Please?"

Lance groaned and muttered, "So begins the guilt trip." He released a sigh and said, "Fine, but only one. That's it."

Anna cheered and snagged his hand again. Lance followed her out onto the grass and they twirled around with everyone else. Natalie's jaw dropped when she saw them, but she shut it again at a glare from the gunner. Matt grinned and gave them a thumbs-up. Anna affected not to notice Lance's glare. Instead, she beamed up at him and a light blush flared on his cheeks as the glare faded. As promised, after one dance, Anna let go of Lance and followed him back to the bonfire.

"Thanks, it was fun," Anna said with a bright smile.

Lance grunted, "You're welcome." He hesitated and added, "It was actually kind of fun. I'm not going out again, though."

Anna shrugged, "That's fine. I'm pretty sure Natalie would faint from surprise, anyway."

Lance snorted, "She's going to tease me about this for weeks. I just know it." He sighed and turned his eyes back to where the mage was still dancing with Matt. Both looked incredibly happy. "Think this will do it for them?" he asked Anna in amusement.

The ranger laughed, "I hope so. I'd thought they would have figured out their relationship by now, but maybe I underestimated Matt's obliviousness."

Lance nodded, "I'm tempted to duck off from the team for a while; see if that works on pushing them together."

"It might, if tonight doesn't open Matt's eyes," Anna agreed. "If you do, I need to go out to a specific mountain range to get some special materials. I was planning to go alone, but you could come with me."

The gunner glanced at her, "Sure, I'd do that anyway. Now then, shall we go check out the games? I still need to prove my bullets are better than your arrows."

Anna grinned, "Sure, let's go! Get ready to lose."

"I think that's my line," Lance smirked.

The ranger stuck her tongue out at him, and led the way to the archery range. Sure enough, several targets had been lined up at the far end of the field and someone was judging several people's accuracy. Not far away, two large groups of people were attempting to haul the opposing team across a line. A rope stretched taut between them. Anna and Lance stood side-by-side and drew their weapons, eyes set on the far targets.

Anna shot a look at Lance and said, "No targeting visor. It's cheating."

Lance rolled his eyes, "Having superior gear is not cheating. But, fine, I won't use it. I don't need it to beat you anyway."

"We'll see about that," Anna snorted.

The ranger nocked an arrow on her bowstring, drew it back to full draw, and sighted her shot. The motions only took a few seconds. With a hissing-thrum, the arrow was off and slammed home in the center of the target. Anna nodded with satisfaction and shot Lance a challenging look. The gunner arched a brow at her as he loaded a single bullet into his gunblade. He raised the weapon, shut his left eye, and pulled the trigger. A crack sounded, and the bullet split the shaft of Anna's arrow to slam home as well. The judge called out as such with admiration in his voice.

Anna pouted, "Darn. So who wins?"

Lance smirked, "I think I do, because I'm awesome."

"No more awesome than I am," Anna huffed. "You hit the same place I did."

"It's a tie, then?" Lance asked with a shrug. "I can live with a tie."

Anna nodded her agreement. At that moment, Matt and Natalie came onto the field, heads turning as they searched for their friends. Their hands were still linked, much to the amusement of Lance and Anna. Finally, the pair spotted them and grinned as they headed over. Matt finally released Natalie's hand, causing the mage to pout.

"So can I beat the whole village at tug-of-war now?" Matt asked eagerly.

Anna laughed and moved to speak with the judge over by the rope. The earlier game had ended and the team on the ground were both laughing and cursing as they detangled themselves from their allies. The triumphant team moved to help them up, all grinning and laughing as well. The judge listened to Anna explain what she wanted with a skeptical look on his face. Finally, he nodded and called out the new game to the other people.

Matt's face split in a wide grin, "Yes!"

He sprinted over to his end of the rope and picked it up, his feet spread in a wide stance for stability. The villagers of Greenwood along with Lance, Natalie, and Anna all picked a spot at the far end. The villagers looked surprised at only having on opponent, thinking it would be an easy match. Anna warned them otherwise, and told them to start tugging as hard as possible, as soon as the match started. Matt grinned at them with laughter in his eyes as they eyed him, still skeptical. The judged glanced across everyone's stance and grip and called to start.

Instantly, Matt heaved back on the rope. There was a brief moment of resistance as everyone else heaved back, but the villagers hadn't listened to Anna. They had underestimated Matt and as such, even with Lance, Anna, and Natalie helping, they were hauled off their feet and were dragged forwards a pace before Matt stopped. He raised both eyebrows at their stunned looks.

"Try again?" he offered with a smile.

The villagers scrambled up with nods and got into position again. This time, they had proper grips and stances, and their faces were set with determination. The judge called to start again. The struggle lasted a little longer. Matt's feet dragged forwards a short ways as the combined efforts on the villagers attempted to pull him down. Matt's face was red as he heaved back as hard as he could on the rope. The stalemate ended when Matt dug his heels in even deeper and gave a mighty tug, jerking the opposing team off their feet again. He let go of the rope and rubbed his hands on his pants to rid the feeling of the rope from them.

"That was amazing," one villager laughed as he struggled out from under two others. "I can't believe one man can beat all of us!"

Lance grunted as he stood up. He eyed Matt's triumphant look and sighed. "It's because he has no brain to speak of, just more muscle," he muttered.

"You're just jealous that he's stronger than you by far," Natalie chuckled.

Anna stood up and grumbled, "Who needs that much strength?"

Lance nodded his agreement. Before anything more could be said, a loud call rang out, calling everyone to the bonfires. The people in the clearing abandoned what they were doing and began filing towards the flames. Lance shot a curious look at Anna, who shrugged.

"It's gotten really late," the ranger said as she started walking. "They're probably starting the blessing ceremony now."

They followed the villagers and joined them in the loose ring around a group of people in fancy robes with swirling body paint decorating their arms, legs, and faces. There was a moment of silence, and then an old man began to chant in an unusual language. The words were lilting and strange, and caused a wave of mana to sweep over the audience. Dancing, gold and silver balls of light of various sizes formed in the air and appeared in the strings of clear glass and paper lanterns set out all over the village, lighting up the trees and buildings.

The other robed figures added their voices to the chant and they raised their arms to the sky. With a final word, they all fell into bows, and were followed by the watchers. Applause rippled out and a few villagers murmured their thanks and prayers. Anna turned to her friends with a grin as people began to move off for their homes.

"And that's it! Did you have fun?" she asked.

The other three nodded with matching smiles.

"Lots of fun, thanks," Matt said.

Natalie tilted her head as she watched the balls of light that still glittered in the air. "Are those remnants of the spell the man was casting?" she asked.

Anna shook her head, "There was no spell. That was just an ancient prayer. These balls of light are quite literally the spirits of the forest; the plants, the stones, the earth, the water, and the animals. The fact that they showed up means they approve of our people and will continue to keep the forest healthy."

Lance watched the twinkling lights, "They're pretty."

"They'll hang around for a few hours before they go back to being invisible," Anna said as her gaze flitted across the village. She turned to the others, "Ready to get some sleep? I think I have enough room at my house for all of us to squeeze in. Two people will have to sleep on the floor, though."

The others nodded, and Matt and Lance volunteered for the floor. They all walked to the ranger's house, smiling and cheerful. It had been a wonderful celebration.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Happy holidays, everyone! Stay safe and cheerful!_ ;D _  
_

 _Also, I would like to thank a recent guest reviewer who has been leaving reviews on all of my work! I wish I could respond to you directly, but since I can't, I hope this will do! You are an awesome person, and I really appreciate your support!_


	12. Rockfall

**Title** : Rockfall  
 **Summary** : Matt and Natalie are trapped under a pile of rubble.  
 **Rating** : K+  
 **Genre** : Romance  
 **World** : Post EBF4

* * *

The rumbling finally stopped and Natalie cautiously peeled one eye open. The other flew wide with shock when she saw Matt hovering over her with both eyes tightly shut. Sweat beaded on his head and his mouth parted to let out a groan. His blond hair fell across one shoulder and his arms trembled from strain on either side of the mage's head while his knees pressed against the stone on either side of her hips. Above him and pressing down on his back was a massive slab of concrete on top of which were many chunks of rubble.

Matt cracked his eyes open to look down at the girl under him, "You okay, Natz?" His voice was strained and the words clipped.

Natalie swallowed, still staring at him, "Fine, for now."

"Good," Matt said shortly, eyes squeezing shut again.

The mage stared up at his tight face. Clearly, the weight he was supporting was immense, and she wondered with a flash of fear if he could keep it up. Tears welled in her eyes as she whispered, "You should have just let me get crushed."

Matt grunted and said in a tight voice, "Hardly."

"There was no point for you to sacrifice yourself too," Natalie said quietly. "I'm not important enough to throw away your life over."

"Stop it," Matt said in a tense voice.

Natalie didn't seem to hear him as she mumbled, "You could have gotten out safely. I was the one that tripped, not you."

Matt let out a soft groan and said, "Stop, Natz."

"You could have been out and beating up bad guys, instead you're going to get crushed with me," Natalie said. A choked sob burst past her lips and she murmured, "I'm so sorry, Matt."

" _Natalie_ ," Matt said sharply.

The mage flinched and shut her mouth. Matt had cracked his eyes open and was staring at her fiercely. The clear blue reflected the dim light of the lantern sticks that hung from their waists. Matt's fierce expression softened some at the tears that trickled down Natalie's face, inches from his own. He cautiously stretched his head down to brush a kiss across her forehead. Natalie's eyes widened as he pulled back and focused his attention on supporting the immense weight bearing down on his back.

Suddenly Matt spoke, "I would never leave you to die, you are definitely worth risking my life over, and I do not regret taking that risk. Lance and Anna will get us out, so don't give up. Okay?"

Natalie took in a deep breath and nodded, "Okay."

"Good, now since neither of us are going anywhere for a while, tell me a story," Matt said with a strained grin.

"A story?" Natalie repeated in bewilderment.

"Well, anything distracting will do, so long as you don't move much," Matt elaborated. "Tell a story, sing a song, tell jokes—oh wait, actually, no jokes. I might drop this if I laugh."

Natalie grinned at him and thought for a moment. After a short while of silence, she settled on a story and opened her mouth. "Once upon a time…"

"Oo, I love that start," Matt broke in with a grin.

Natalie chuckled and kept going, "There was a beautiful young woman with a beautiful voice. Many came from all over to listen to her sing, and she was beloved by all who knew her. Among the many people who listened to her songs was a young man about her age. The young man had known the woman for all his life and they were great friends."

Matt smiled as he listened to the tale, though his arms trembled under the weight of the stone.

"One day, a fierce dragon was flying past the woman as she sang and braided wildflowers, and he heard her song. Enchanted by her wonderful voice, the dragon landed before her. The woman was frightened, of course, and she stopped singing. The dragon snarled and demanded she continue. Frightened, but unable to flee, the woman began to sing once more. The dragon listened to the end of the song and decided that he would keep the lovely woman with the wonderful voice as his own. He scooped up the maiden and carried her away to his nest high in the mountains."

"What a… selfish jerk," Matt panted.

Natalie smiled at him, "Yes, he was, wasn't he? Anyway, when the woman did not come back that evening, her childhood friend became worried. He went to the hill and saw a half woven crown, but not his friend. He scoured the hill and found the dragon's footprints. At once, he knew that his friend had been taken by the dragon. He traveled back to the village and told all about what had happened, begging for aid in rescuing her, but no one wanted to fight a dragon. The man pleaded to them, but they refused to aid him."

"More selfish jerks," Matt grunted.

"The young man thought much the same. He vowed that he would save his friend, and so set out alone to find the dragon. He traveled for many days and many nights until he reached the mountains. Meanwhile, the dragon demanded the woman sing for him every morning and evening. The woman did as she was told, but every day, her voice grew more and more weary and sorrowful. Finally, one day, she stopped singing entirely. The dragon raged and roared, but he could not get the woman to sing. Finally, he decided she was useless to him. Just as he was about to breath fire all over her, the young man darted forwards."

"Yay, time for… heroic dragon slayings," Matt cheered between his pants.

Natalie grinned at him and kept going, "The young man was armed with only a sword, but he fought with the strength and courage of a hundred men. The dragon clawed, and snapped, and roared, and breathed fire, but could not kill the man. Finally, after many hours, the dragon was slain. The young man wearily dragged himself to where his friend was caged and broke the lock on her cell. The woman launched herself forwards and embraced her childhood friend. The man forgot his weariness in the joy of their being reunited. He guided her back to the village, where she once again sang beautiful songs."

Matt smiled, "Good… story… Natz."

"Thanks, how're you holding up?" Natalie asked worriedly.

"Better now, actually," Matt grunted. "They're moving the rubble off, and it's getting lighter."

Natalie started as she heard a grinding shift. She beamed as she realized that it was the sound of massive amounts of stone being moved. She wondered briefly how their friends were moving the stone. Then, suddenly, a massive log wedged through the rubble and flipped the slab that Matt was supporting off of his back. Stones and dirt showered down, and Matt heaved a massive sigh of relief as he tipped sideways to land on the ground.

Anna scrambled down to them along with Lance. Both their faces were tight with worry that dissipated when they saw their friends unharmed. Mighty Oak towered over them for a moment before vanishing with a flash of green light. Matt breathed heavily, but his face cracked into a grin.

"I knew you'd get us out," he sighed.

Lance chuckled, "Of course. Now how're you two doing?"

Natalie sat up, "I'm fine. Matt shielded me."

Anna gently prodded Matt to get him to roll over. Her hands slid over his back for a moment before she nodded, "Matt's fine, though I'll bet he's sore."

Matt grunted, "Oh, yeah, definitely. It's totally worth it save Natz, though."

The swordsman pushed himself to sit up and immediately found himself with Natalie in his lap, her lips on his. He blinked in shock for a moment, before settling into the kiss. He ignored the wolf whistle Lance gave and the giggle Anna gave. He pulled back and grinned at Natalie's flushed face.

"Do I get one of those every time I save you, now?" he asked cheekily.

Natalie laughed, "You just might."

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _And so ends another cliché! It was short, but I thought it was cute. :3 No real intro, but I'm sure you all can fill in some kind of stereotypical situation that would lead to a rockfall._


	13. Mourning

**Title** : Mourning  
 **Summary** : Lance follows Matt from camp after several days of strange behavior from Matt.  
 **Rating** : T  
 **Genre** : Hurt/Comfort, Friendship  
 **World** : Post EBF4

* * *

Matt had been distant during the past week. At first, no one had noticed, until Natalie asked him the same question four times in a row before the swordsman blinked out of the stupor he'd been in and focused on her.

"Sorry, what'd you say, Natz?" Matt asked with a grin.

Natalie scanned Matt's face for a long moment before hesitantly asking, "Are you okay, Matt?"

Matt cocked his head, "I'm fine, why?"

"You've been staring into space all day," Natalie replied with a frown. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Matt nodded with a grin, "Yeah. I'm fine." His eyes became distant again and he glanced down the road as he murmured, "Just fine."

Lance arched a brow and exchanged a confused glance with Natalie and Anna, "You positive, man? You've been acting weird for several days now, now that I think about it."

Matt rolled his eyes and said, "I promise I'm fine, just thinking about… visiting home."

Anna started, "Where do you live?"

"Wherever we happen to be walking," Matt replied with a cheeky grin.

"I meant where's home? We can swing by there and you can say hi, if you want," the ranger elaborated with a roll of her eyes.

Matt's grin flickered before he shook his head, "Nah, it's okay. I'll pay a visit on my own time. Besides, we've got a nest of elementals to clear out, right? Let's go!" With that, the swordsman turned and briskly continued walking.

Natalie stared after Matt with confusion and concern in her eyes, "He's acting really weird. I wonder why he wants to visit his home so much all of a sudden." She started walking after him with the other two beside her.

Lance shrugged, "Maybe he's homesick?"

Anna snorted, "I doubt it."

"It's possible, actually," Natalie mused aloud. She shook her head and added, "Matt's only nineteen, it wouldn't be out of the question for him to suddenly want to see his family, and I don't think he's been to see them even once since I met him."

Lance frowned, "You're right, but he's never mentioned his family or home before, so why now?"

"Dunno," Natalie sighed.

They crested the hill to see Matt staring off to the west with the distant look in his eyes again. He shook it off at their approach and grinned before pointing down the hill to the north. The rest of the party looked down to see a large cluster of earth elementals working on tearing up the road. The party exchanged grins and launched themselves down the hill and into combat.

That evening, after they had slain the elementals, they party was stretched out in various sleeping bags around the campfire. Lance, Natalie, and Anna all slept soundly, but Matt lay awake, staring up at the stars. He silently sat up and looked across his sleeping friends to make sure they were out before slipping out of his sleeping bag. He crept away from the camp and glanced back at their still forms one last time before vanishing into the night.

Unbeknownst to him, Lance had been awake, expecting Matt to slip off. He sat up and stared after the swordsman with concern in his eyes. It was highly unlike Matt to be so quiet and pensive during the day, and even more so for him to sneak away from the campsite. The gunner's mind drifted back to Matt's plan to visit home, and he frowned with a glance at the stars overhead. Surely the swordsman didn't plan to pay a visit home in the middle of the night?

Finally, Lance slipped out of his own sleeping bag and stood up. He snagged his gunblade up and set off after Matt. The full moon made following Matt ridiculously easy. The swordsman's hair caught the moonlight as did his weapon's hilt, and he made no attempt to hide himself. Lance, in his dark clothing, was a much more difficult to spot target, not that Matt ever looked back. He followed a few yards behind his friend in silence for several miles.

Finally, dark smudges appeared on the horizon. Lance frowned as he wondered what they were. The shapes were too irregular to be hills, and too small to be buildings. Still, it was clearly Matt's destination as he picked up the pace slightly. The swordsman was still unaware of his shadow as he approached the smudges. It wasn't until they were practically to the shapes that Lance realized what they were and his breath silently caught with shock.

They were the remains of long-since-burned buildings. Matt raised a hand as he came level with the first one and he slid it along the ruined support of the wall. His expression was easily visible in the moonlight and was one of sorrow before he turned and headed into the ruined village. Lance hesitated for a moment as Matt slipped out of sight. He now knew with certainty that Matt had come here to not to visit, but to mourn. If that were the case, then it was a private affair, and not one he thought Matt would like anyone interrupting.

And yet, leaving his friend alone and surrounded by the ghosts of a tragic past felt wrong as well. Lance took a deep breath and followed Matt into the village. As he walked between the burned and collapsed remains of the buildings, he felt a lingering sense of unease. The place was silent, even the crickets didn't chirp within the area. No plants grew on the wood or the ground. Whatever had happened to burn the buildings had not been natural.

Lance shivered as he looked around for some sign of Matt. He turned a corner and saw an open space with the crumbled remains of a fountain. Matt sat on his feet at the base of it where a crude wooden marker had been set up. He'd laid Heaven's Gate out in front of him along with a bouquet of flowers. The swordsman was silent as he mourned, but his shoulders shook. Lance watched the scene for a moment before stepping forwards, purposefully scuffing the ground with his foot. Matt instantly stiffened and twisted around at the noise. His face had tracks of tears on them as his eyes fell on Lance. The swordsman blinked in confusion for a moment before scowling.

"Why are you here, Lance?" Matt asked in a soft, but decidedly unfriendly voice.

Lance tilted his head for a moment before shrugging. He said nothing but moved closer. Matt watched with narrow eyes as Lance stepped up and knelt next to him. The gunner dug into his Adventure Pouch for a moment before withdrawing a small handful of the rare flowers he'd gathered to sell and set them on the ground beside Matt's offering. He set his gunblade down and sent a silent prayer for whoever had died here that Matt had cared about. Matt was taken aback at the strange show of respect from Lance.

Finally, Lance opened his eyes and answered Matt's question, "I was worried about you. I followed you here, and I knew before entering what you came here to do, but it seemed wrong to leave you while you were obviously hurting. You don't need to tell me what happened here or who died that you are mourning for, but I'm not leaving until you're ready to."

Matt stared at his friend for a long moment. Finally, his lips quirked in a soft smile and he nodded, "Okay. Thank you."

Lance nodded silently and remained kneeling beside Matt as the swordsman returned to his mourning. The gunner's eyes scanned the grave in front of him and he mused that it must have been up for some time. A small pile of gold, silver, and gems sat at its base, some of which were dusty or tarnished from sitting in the open for so long. There were signs that the marker had been repaired multiple times before—scrapes in the wood, bits of tattered cloth from old bindings. Lance wondered how many years Matt had been coming here. He mentally shrugged and dug out a ruby and a handful of gold to add to the pile.

Matt's eyes opened at the soft clinking sound. He let out a sigh and turned his gaze around the ruined square. "I was nine when we were attacked," Matt said quietly.

Lance turned his head to show he was listening, but said nothing.

"I remember playing with a couple other kids before one of their parents showed up and told us we had to go inside. We complained, of course, but she snapped at us to move," Matt recalled. He shook his head and went on, "Even back then, I knew something was wrong. She was scared and the fact that an adult was scared of something made us panic. We scattered, some of us going home, others running around aimlessly. I had just crawled into a drain in the streets—one of my favorite hiding spots—when I smelled smoke."

Matt broke off to let out a shuddering sigh. Lance hesitantly reached a hand up and set it on the swordsman's shoulder.

"To this day, I don't know what attacked us or why, but I do remember there being a lot of screaming and smoke. I remember wondering why the water draining in was red, but I was too scared to look for the source. I stayed cowering in the pipe and heard something big moving around. It snuffled at places, like a hound searching for prey. It paused at my hiding space, but I guess the smell covered my own scent because it moved on without incident."

Lance's stomach twisted as Matt spoke. The swordsman's voice was soft and filled with sorrow and pain. The shoulder under his hand trembled, and Lance tightened his grip reassuringly. Matt shot him a grateful glance and continued his tale.

"I stayed hidden long after the monster left. I kept expecting to hear my parents calling for me to come out of hiding for dinner or something. But the sun set and the moon rose with no one saying anything. I couldn't even hear any fire, or birds, or bugs, or anything. So I finally crawled out and… I don't really remember what I saw or did immediately after that. I've heard traumatic experiences often get forgotten, so maybe that's what happened, I don't know. Anyway, I must have fled the village, because I woke up with an old lady feeding me some broth. Apparently, her husband found me passed out on the road and brought me home with him."

Matt's eyes squeezed shut with a choked sob, "They told me they headed back the way I had come to my village and saw the devastation. They apologized for my loss and said I could stay with them, but I didn't really understand then. I thought my parents would find me, or maybe one of my friends would come poking around to play, but no one ever came. They'd all been killed, and by what the people told me before I left their home when I was thirteen, there wasn't any way to have identified any bodies. They did gather some people to dig graves for them, but there was no way to know what names to put on the markers."

Matt gestured to the memorial in front of him, "I built this when I was eleven. I went over all the names I could remember. I come here every year to remember them. I'm sorry for worrying you by slipping off, though."

Lance shook his head, "It's fine; you have a very good reason. I'm sorry for intruding. I won't tell the others about this."

Matt nodded, "Thanks. I'm actually kind of glad you followed me. I'm handling it worse than I usually do this time; maybe because it's the ten year mark. Ten years since I've seen my parents, ten years since they were all killed and I wasn't." His eyes welled with tears as he mumbled, "It doesn't seem fair that only I survived."

Lance swallowed at the raw pain in Matt's voice. He carefully reached both arms out and drew the swordsman into a hug. Matt buried his face in Lance's shoulder and cried. The gunner simply held his friend and rubbed one hand over his shaking back. He didn't urge Matt to calm down, didn't whisper soothing reassurances. He merely held Matt as he worked through his grief at his own pace. Mourning was not something that could be rushed or aided other than by making sure the person knew someone was there.

Finally, Matt's tears slowed to a stop. He raised his face from Lance's now soaked shoulder. He raised an arm to wipe his soggy face on his sleeve and was startled when Lance tapped his shoulder and silently held out a pack of tissues. Matt accepted them with a watery smile, and used them to blow his nose and wipe his face clean. Once he was relatively under control, he quietly thanked Lance.

"You're welcome," Lance said, equally quiet. He hesitated before asking, "Feeling a little better now?"

Matt nodded, "Yeah, I do."

The swordsman pushed himself to his feet and picked up Heaven's Gate. He watched Lance stand and retrieve his own weapon. He realized that he really did feel much better now, better than he had in all his years coming here. It was embarrassing that his friend had been there for his breakdown, but he was grateful there had been someone there. And Lance had handled it very well. It had been a relief to simply speak of what had happened with someone who wouldn't judge him, wouldn't pity him, and likely wouldn't even mention the ordeal ever again unless he brought it up first.

Lance eyed Matt's clear gaze with a sense of relief. It was good to see the swordsman looking steady. He wished he could have helped Matt before now, that the tragedy had never happened to him. But he knew that both of those things were pointless to wish for. He'd been there tonight, and Matt seemed better off for it. That was good enough.

Lance waited as Matt bid farewell to the spirits of the dead villagers. Then, he followed alongside Matt as they headed back through the ruined an abandoned town. No words were shared as they trekked back to camp, and once there, neither man said anything beyond goodnight. They lay their weapons down within easy reach and slowly fell asleep.

The next morning, Matt was back to normal, cheerfully trying to eat plants and monsters that weren't edible. Lance treated Matt no differently than normal beyond a hand briefly clasped on his shoulder. The swordsman shook his head when Natalie asked if he wanted to visit home. Matt's eyes caught Lance's from where the gunner sat near Anna and he smiled briefly.

"No, there's no need," Matt said. "No point dwelling on the past. Besides, I'm sure they'll understand if I don't swing by today, or anytime soon."

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Just a little thing I thought of and wrote. Leave me a review and I'll likely see some of you over on_ The Long Road Home _or_ Shadow of the Blight _pretty soon. I promise I have not forgotten about either of those stories and their next chapters are underway after weeks of plot bunny interference._


	14. Love

**Title:** Love  
 **Summary:** Natalie's had enough of Matt's obliviousness, and decides it's time to give up. But maybe that decision is just what is needed to not only push him to finally confess, but also help another pair.  
 **Rating** : K+  
 **Genre** : Romance, Hurt/Comfort  
 **Pairings** : MattxNatalie, LancexAnna  
 **World** : Post EBF4

* * *

Natalie was tired; tired of being the busty mage of the group, tired of being considered as only good for the occasional heal, and tired of having her heart broken. She'd hoped that maybe one day, Matt would realize how she felt, but he was so oblivious. Everyone else in the group saw how she felt about him, but the blond swordsman never noticed even once. It was frustrating and painful. She'd considered simply asking him if he loved her, but since he'd never shown an interest in her before, she was inclined to think the answer was _no_. She wasn't sure if her hurt heart could handle a final, definite rejection.

The mage sighed as she walked along the near-empty streets of Goldenbrick Resort. The party had stopped in for the night to rest up before hunting dragons and monoliths in Godcat's Temple for the next few days. Each of the party had gone off to spend their own time relaxing however they chose. Matt was stuffing himself at their rented house. Lance had gone to browse the weapons shop, and Anna had gone with him. The two sharp-shooters had begun to get along very well, once Lance stopped antagonizing Anna so much; Natalie hoped the pair would get together as a couple; there was clearly an interest on both sides. As for Natalie herself, she had taken to wandering around town in an attempt to sort out her thoughts. The mage let out another long sigh and slumped down on a chunk of stone near the altar for the town's Jewel.

Not three seconds later and a friendly voice said, "That's a mighty heavy sigh for such a lovely lady. Gold for your thoughts?"

Natalie glanced up to see a young man with loose, but short, black hair watching her with a small light of concern in his green eyes. The mage quirked a small smile of greeting and shook her head, "My thoughts aren't worth gold."

The man's brow furrowed slightly in concern. He stepped forward and hesitated near a chunk of rock beside the mage. "Mind if I join you?" he asked. The man sat down when Natalie shrugged and turned his concerned gaze on the girl, "What's wrong? I won't judge if you want to talk."

"That's very kind of you, but you don't need to hear my troubles," Natalie said dismissively. "We don't know each other, anyway.

"No, no! I insist!" the man exclaimed. He held his hand out with a warm smile and said, "My name is Aron, pleased to meet you."

Natalie shook his hand, "Likewise. My name is Natalie."

"You're Natalie, the mage who helped save the world from Godcat and Akron?" Aron asked in complete amazement.

"That would be me," Natalie agreed with a weak smile.

Aron shook his head slightly, before letting the topic go as the mage began to look uncomfortable. "Well, now that we know each other, what could possibly be bothering you? You strike me as the type to explode your problems," he joked.

Natalie laughed, "I probably would if the problem wasn't my team."

Now that Natalie had gotten started, the whole story tumbled out. She spilled everything that had been bothering her for months; her crush on Matt, the constant teasing for her chest, the remarks that she was only good for a few things. By the end of it, she had tears in her eyes, though none of them had fallen. Aron listened silently with an understanding expression on his face. When the mage finished, he passed her a small pack of tissues. The mage accepted them gratefully, wiped her eyes and blew her nose. She sent the man a watery smile.

"Thanks for listening, Aron," she said quietly. "I feel better for getting that out."

Aron shook his head, "It was no trouble, I'm glad a sympathetic ear could help you." His face set in a frown as he added, "I'm not sure your… _friends_ are very good to you. Have you ever thought of splitting from them?"

Natalie hesitated, and shook her head, "No, never. I've known them all for years, and they aren't always as bad as I just complained about. Besides, I'm the main healer and mage of the party. They won't stop fighting if I just decided to quit, and I don't want them to get seriously hurt or killed."

"Seems to me that they take you for granted," Aron muttered. He shook his head and added, "Well, for what it's worth, I think you're a truly beautiful woman with way more going for you than just a sizable bust. I hope the rest of your team will see that soon."

"T-Thank you," Natalie stammered with bright cheeks.

Aron smiled, leaned over, and brushed a chaste kiss to the mage's cheek. He stood up and smiled down at her stunned expression. He nodded to her and gave a basic warrior's salute, tapping his fist to his chest. "If you ever change your mind about splitting from your party, come ask for me at the tavern. I'd love to adventure with you, maybe be something more than just teammates," he said in a gentle voice.

With that, the man turned and left. Natalie stared after him with wide eyes and a flustered blush. One of her hands rose to brush her cheek; though it had just been a light brush of the lips on her cheek, it had been her first kiss from anyone outside her family. Her mouth widened in a bright smile and she nodded to herself. She would keep the offer in mind, though she was unsure if she'd take it. Aron was sweet, but she couldn't honestly see herself on another team, at least not yet.

The mage stood and began to make her way back to the house, hand still idly brushing her cheek. She walked inside to see Lance and Anna had joined Matt at the table. The three looked up at her entrance and waved a hello. Each of them looked puzzled by the absent nod they got in return from Natalie. Anna shrewdly eyed the drifting hand on her friend's face and her eyes lit up as her face widened in a sly smile.

"Met someone, Natz?" she asked lightly.

Natalie shrugged, but her blush was telling. "Yeah, a nice guy stopped to have a chat with me by the altar," she admitted.

Lance arched a brow at the wistful light in Natalie's eyes as she spoke of the man. He shot a glance at Matt, but didn't say anything. The swordsman was watching Natalie, and didn't seem too concerned by a very obvious crush developing. The gunner shrugged; if Matt couldn't see Natalie's feelings after this long, he wasn't likely to start seeing them. He turned his attention back to Natalie and watched as she swiped a roll off of Anna's plate. Her eyes were clearer and happier than they had been for a while, and he wondered what the mystery guy had said to her to make her so happy.

"So what's his name?" Anna asked.

Natalie smiled, "Aron. He's pretty cute, too."

Lance gagged and stood up, "I am so out of here if this is going to be a girl-gab session."

Anna snorted and waved him off. Matt remained where he was, and swiped what was left on Lance's plate. He half-listened to Anna and Natalie talking about Aron, and wondered whether the guy was planning to join their team or something. He tuned out their conversation when they started talking about dreamy green eyes and soft black hair. It wasn't until he heard a startled sound from Anna that he paid attention again.

"But you can't just leave," Anna protested.

Natalie shrugged and replied, "You and Lance can both use heal magic; you don't really need me there."

Anna shook her head and refuted, "Not as well as you do, though. And we would miss you." Her eyes looked sad as she hesitantly asked, "So is the adventure tomorrow our last as a team?"

Natalie shrugged again, "Yeah, I think so. I… need some time away. Maybe I'll come back someday, maybe not."

Matt's eyes widened, "Wait, what?"

"I'm leaving the team," Natalie said.

Her voice was calm, too calm for Matt's liking. He was so used to having Natalie there that he couldn't imagine a team without her. She'd been his partner for so long, and he'd just figured that she always would be. Clearly, that was not the case, however; not if Natalie was planning on quitting tomorrow. The swordsman felt a jab of pain in his chest at the thought. Finally, he responded to the question.

"Why are you leaving?" he asked quietly in a hurt voice.

Natalie's eyes flickered with some emotion before she hid it. Instead, to Anna and Matt's surprise, anger filled her expression. "Because I'm hoping Aron won't take me for granted, won't only notice my boobs, won't claim my chest is my only value, and won't simply ignore anything I may or may not feel for him. That's why," she hissed. "Maybe I'll be happier with him than I am with _you_."

Matt's eyes were wide and he shrank further and further down with each statement Natalie made. Tears welled in his eyes at her last sentence. He watched mutely as the mage stood up and stormed out of the house. The door slammed and Anna winced before letting out a low whistle. She shook her head sadly and turned her eyes to Matt. To her surprise, the swordsman remained seated, and had a few tears on his face. As she watched him, he wiped the drops away and stood up.

"Going after her?" Anna asked in a quiet, but serious voice. To her anger, Matt shook his head. She bristled and demanded, "Why not? Was she right with her accusations?"

"No," Matt spat with a glare at the ranger for even suggesting that. His face crumpled to despair as he shot a longing glance at the front door before he went on in a quiet voice, "She'll be… happier with someone who will treat her right. Obviously I don't make her happy, not if she'll say things like that."

Anna cocked her head, "I think you do make her happy; most days, anyway." She hesitated over her next statement before nodding. Matt needed to hear this before it was completely too late. Maybe it would cajole him into doing the right thing at last; he'd be crushed if it didn't.

"She loves you, you know, and has for a long time. Probably longer than I've known you guys," Anna murmured. She glanced to the door and added, "I can see why she wants an out. It must hurt a lot to have the person you love not care the same way about you. Seeing them every day and knowing you'll never be enough to spark their interest."

Matt froze, and breathed, "What..?" He swallowed and asked in a disbelieving voice, "Natalie loves me?"

Anna shot him an exasperated look, "Well, duh. It's only blindingly obvious to everyone else, even Lance. She's head over heels for you, and has wanted you to notice. I'm sure she figured you don't like her like that and decided hoping was better than knowing it was a no."

"But why _me_?" Matt protested. "I'm just a blonde idiot who routinely gets all of us into danger! What the hell is there to love about that? She can do way better!"

Anna cocked her head at him, "I think you should ask Natalie that question. Go find her before she's gone. She's a hairbreadth away from letting you go forever, but I bet you can still stop her."

The swordsman hesitated for only a moment before nodding. He was gone in the next second and Anna smiled. Matt clearly loved Natalie, regardless of what he told others; though he apparently had little confidence in himself. She hoped he could convince Natalie not to go. It would break his heart if Natalie left and never knew, and the team would never be the same again with her gone.

 **OOOOOO**

Matt ran down the streets, looking for Natalie. He needed to tell her he felt the same, had felt the same for years. He pushed back the burning sensation in his eyes as he thought about Natalie being gone forever. She had every right, he supposed as the altar came into sight. He had royally screwed up when he'd decided she would never like him and thus chosen not to try. He'd been comfortable with the fact that they were friends and were likely to stay that way. He had wanted more, but why risk what he had? If she had said no, she didn't like him that way there would have been a huge awkward divide between them. Better friends than apart. But that hadn't been the case, at least not forever. He'd been blind, so blind, all these years.

Natalie wasn't around the altar and Matt kept jogging. He twisted his head about, looking for her desperately. If nothing else, he needed to apologize. She'd been well within her right to be furious with the rest of them. They had commented on her chest a lot, and looking back, they had taken advantage of the fact that she was there and not likely to go anywhere. After all, where else could she have gone? Now, she had been given another option, and wanted to take it. Matt's pace slowed to a walk, chest heaving. Could he really claim to love her if he wanted to drag her back to that kind of life—one where she wasn't happy?

The swordsman hung his head and turned to the beach. No, he couldn't do that to her. She'd suffered enough at the hands of his cowardice and ignorance. The ground changed to soft sand, and Matt heard the crashing of waves. He lifted his head and looked at the ocean for a long moment. The moonlight shone on the water, turning it and the sand silver. The stars sparkled in the clear sky. It was a scene of utter tranquility. Matt flopped to sit on a dune, watching and listening to the waves, trying to come to terms with the fact that Natalie would be leaving.

That was how Natalie found him. She'd been coming back from her stroll on the shore, and was surprised to see Matt alone on the beach, merely staring at the water. It wasn't until she got closer to him that she was concerned, though. There an unusual look in his eyes, one that took her a fair bit of time to place. Her breath caught as she realized what the emotion was: defeat. Matt looked utterly crushed and defeated, and it was so far out of character for him that Natalie's heart gave a sharp twinge. He never looked defeated for anything, always confident and eager. Mixed in with the look of defeat were regret, sorrow, pain, self-loathing, and bitter acceptance.

Natalie gulped and silently stepped closer to Matt. The expression was wrong on his face, and her lingering frustration vanished to be replaced with a need to fix whatever was wrong. He twitched upon hearing her approach, but didn't look up to see who or possibly what was there. He merely hunched his shoulders, ducked his head down, and sighed. He jerked up, however, when Natalie spoke, and stared at her with wide eyes.

"You okay, Matt?" Natalie asked hesitantly.

Matt swallowed and turned his gaze back to the ocean. "No, not really," he murmured.

Natalie sat down beside him and noticed his suddenly stiff posture, "What's wrong?"

"Just coming to terms with how utterly retarded I must be," Matt whispered. "I kinda wonder how the hell I made it this long. It must've been a miracle alongside your healing magic." His voice fell even further as he said, "I'm so sorry, Natalie; so sorry."

Natalie stared at him. Never before had she heard Matt so utterly disgusted with himself. Obviously, he was taking her leaving very hard, much harder than she thought he would. Before she could say anything, though, Matt kept talking.

"I… This is probably too late to fix or change anything, but can I tell you something?" he asked in a small voice.

Natalie swallowed and whispered, "Of course."

Matt turned his eyes on her and said, "I should have told you this years ago, but I was afraid. Now, it's too late, but I think you deserve to know."

He leaned towards Natalie, placed a gentle hand on her cheek, and tilted his head to press his lips to hers. The mage stiffened in disbelieving shock, staring at Matt's closed eyes that were so close to her own; a tear leaked from the corner of his right eye to run down his cheek. The kiss lasted barely three seconds before Matt pulled away.

"I love you. I have loved you for years, Natalie," he whispered, "Loved you more than anything else. I'm sorry I never told you before, and I wish I had done so sooner. I- I'm glad you've finally found someone who will notice your love for him and won't be a total prick to you. Goodbye, Natz. I'll never forget you..."

Natalie gaped at him, unable to believe her ears and eyes. The tingling on her lips confirmed it though. Matt had kissed her, told her he loved her, had loved her, and then let her go. Clearly, he was devastated by this final goodbye he was giving her, but was doing it anyway. Tears welled in Natalie's own eyes as she watched him turn his face away, his shoulder's slumped, face set in despair. His hands clenched his pant legs and trembled slightly before he relaxed. More tears ran down his face and he began to stand up.

That was when Natalie's mind finally caught up to her. She had just been given what she'd wanted for so long, and she couldn't let it end already. The mage lunged to tackle Matt to the sand before he'd gotten further than a crouch and wrapped her arms around his waist. She buried her face in his chest and let her tears drip onto his shirt. Then, she pulled away, and slid up to press a desperate kiss to Matt's lips. The swordsman only stayed stiff for a second before one arm looped around her waist and the other moved to press her head even closer.

Both their hearts raced as their lips moved against each other's. Relief sparked through each of their veins. Joy blossomed in each of their chests. Without words, Natalie confirmed her feelings for Matt and gave him a silent promise to never leave him behind. Matt understood that Natalie would stay, and silently promised that he would love and care for her for as long as she wanted him. Both pulled away and opened their dazed eyes, panting. Natalie leaned her head down to rest on Matt's chest, and smiled at his rapid heartbeat.

"I love you, too, Matt," she murmured. "I'm staying with you, and I refuse to ever leave you hurting and alone."

Matt's face broke out into a brilliant smile and he whispered, "I'll be better now. For as long as you want me, I'll care for you. And even if you ever stop loving me, I never will."

Natalie snuggled down, "If I've loved you for this long, I doubt I'll ever stop. You're trapped now, Matt."

The swordsman let out a breathy laugh, "Trapped and ridiculously happy."

Matt sat up, bringing Natalie with him. The mage shifted around to rest against his chest and felt his arms loop around her waist. Both watched the sea roll against the shore, feeling happy, content, and at peace with the world. Then Matt's grip tightened and he spoke again, his voice uncertain.

"Why do you love me?" he asked. "What did I ever do to earn that?

Natalie pressed further against Matt and thought about his question. "You have this… energy," she said slowly. She tilted her head to look up at Matt's confused face and went on, "You're always so cheerful, and you're strong. I love when you smile and your eyes light up; it makes me feel good, happy. You try to do the right thing, granted sometimes in a questionable way, and are so utterly devoted to your friends. On top of all that, you are a very good looking man."

Matt swallowed and gave a shy grin with a light blush. He hesitantly leaned down and pressed a sweet kiss to the top of Natalie's head. To his wonder and happiness, she relaxed against him with a happy sigh. He felt her hand come up to trace a random pattern on the back of his hands before she tugged one up to give it a small kiss. Matt let out a soft sigh of his own and rested his chin on her head, staring out at the ocean. They stayed there until Natalie gave a small yawn and Matt realized how late it must be.

"We should go get some sleep," the swordsman said aloud.

Natalie nodded and stood away from Matt. She waited until he was standing before slipping her hand into his. He gave her a bright smile and Natalie's breath caught at the breathtaking beauty in it. His eyes caught the moonlight just right to set them glittering, his hair glinted with strands of liquid silver, and his face displayed such happiness and love that Natalie couldn't help but beam up at him in return. Matt's smile widened and he squeezed her hand before guiding her back to the house.

Once inside, they immediately spotted Anna nursing a glass of orange juice, staring into the dying flames of the sitting room fire. She was so lost in thought that she didn't even look up when they entered. It wasn't until they flopped on the couch beside her that she started and looked around. Her face split in a relieved smile at the sight of both of them smiling happily with their hands linked.

"Hey, guys," she greeted. "You get everything worked out?"

Matt shot a glance at Natalie and nodded, "I think so, yeah." He turned his eyes back to the ranger and added, "Thanks for your advice, Anna."

Natalie cocked her head, "What advice did she give?"

Anna grinned, "Basically told him in no uncertain terms how blind he was about your feelings and that he should go stop you." Her face became more serious as she added, "I'm sorry for several of the things I've said to you in the past, Natz. I want you to know that I definitely appreciate all the work you do in battle to help and heal us. You're my good friend, and I should never have said the things I did."

The mage flushed and mumbled, "You're welcome, and it's in the past now." She glanced around and asked, "Where's Lance? I was sure he'd be with you?"

"He's… a little upset right now," Anna murmured.

Matt frowned, "How so?"

The ranger shrugged, "He came back down a little while after you left, Matt. I told him about what happened and he's feeling really bad about himself. He walked out and I haven't seen him since." Her head ducked a little and she added, "I tried to follow him, but he told me to go away."

Natalie sighed, "Typical Lance behavior. He'll be back, Anna, don't worry."

Anna gave a small smile and nodded, "Yeah, you're right. Now then, you two look exhausted, having been sent through the emotional ringer. Get some sleep, I'll stay up until Lance is back to tell him the news."

Matt nodded, "Okay. Goodnight, Anna. See you tomorrow."

Natalie added her own goodnight and followed Matt up the stairs. She hesitated outside her room door before turning to Matt. "Can I stay with you?" she asked. When Matt blanched she realized how that must have sounded and hastily added, "Just to sleep."

With a light blush and a relieved look, Matt grinned, "Sure."

They headed to Matt and Lance's room. Once there, Matt tugged his boots and weapon off, and flopped on the bed. Natalie followed his example and soon both were snuggled under the sheets. Matt's left arm came up to drape across Natalie's waist and he smiled as she merely hugged the limb and scooted to press her back flush against him. Both slowly drifted off there, warm in each other's arms.

 **OOOOOO**

Lance came back to the house well after midnight. The main room was dark and silent; only the faintest glow of the fire's embers lit the way. He navigated his way around various chairs and tables, but stopped before he reached the stairs. His eyes fell on Anna, fast asleep and curled on the sofa arm. The ranger's face was set in a small frown of worry, and Lance wondered if she had been waiting up for him. He felt a guilty flash and frowned.

The gunner lowered himself to sit beside Anna, slowly and carefully to avoid waking her. The ranger mumbled and shifted slightly, but didn't wake up. Lance watched her face for a long while, thinking of the recent events he'd been told. Natalie had been driven off by their treatment of her. Anna had told Matt of the mage's long standing feelings. Matt had gone off to find Natalie, and would hopefully be able to convince her to stay. He figured Matt would be successful, and likely had already returned with the mage.

Still, Lance felt uneasy. From what Anna had told him, unrequited feelings hadn't been the only reason behind Natalie's sudden desire to leave. She'd been feeling hurt and used, likely because of his frequent mentions of her chest. It had been going on for so long that he no longer thought anything of the comments; they had been his way of interacting with Natalie. Clearly, though, each one had been silently hurting the mage, and he'd never noticed. He wondered with a flash of fear if he'd been doing the same thing to Anna, too.

Lance's eyes took in her sleeping face once more, and he flinched. It wouldn't surprise him if he had. The things he said to her all the time weren't all that different from what he'd been saying to Natalie; only instead of it being about her chest, it had been about her love of nature. The gunner snorted to himself as he realized just how crappy a person he had been to all of them. Natalie's chest, Anna's nature; even Matt had been called stupid a lot. Lance sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, eyes shifting to the glowing embers of the fire. It was a wonder their party had held together this long with all his unhelpful remarks.

Anna mumbling again had his gaze returning to her face. He'd begun nursing a crush on the ranger for the past few weeks, and it had seemed like she was doing the same. Now, he wasn't so sure that should continue. He was clearly a bad person and Anna shouldn't be involved with him; they would all be better off without him. And yet, as he watched the ranger give a small shiver, he couldn't convince himself to leave. It was selfish of him, but he _liked_ being around the others, and especially Anna. He tugged a loose blanket out of his Adventure Pouch and draped it across Anna. The added warmth caused the ranger to let out a sigh and snuggle down.

Slowly, Anna woke up. The first thing she noticed was that it was dark. The second thing she noticed was that there was a blanket around her. The third thing she noticed, once her eyes adjusted to the dimness of the house's main room, was Lance sitting beside her, his eyes fixed on the remaining embers from the fire. Anna jerked upright, causing Lance to look over at her.

"You're back," Anna said with relief. "I waited up for you, but I guess I must've fallen asleep."

Lance gave her a weak smirk, "You didn't need to do that, you know."

Anna shook her head, "I know, but I wanted to. Matt came back with Natalie while you were out; she'll be staying and their together now."

"I figured that would be the case," Lance said quietly.

The ranger frowned at the lack of excitement in his voice and expression. She'd thought he would be happier than he was acting that Natalie would stay and the long siege of obliviousness was over. "Well try not to get too excited," she muttered.

Lance flinched slightly, almost imperceptibly, but covered it up with a snort, "I am excited of course. No more wistful sighs, no more wanting to smash Matt's head through a tree."

Anna had caught his wince, though. Her frown took on a worried look and she murmured, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Lance said shortly.

"Really?" Anna asked skeptically. "You don't look or sound fine to me. Want to talk about it?"

Lance blew out a sigh and leaned back on the sofa. His eyes turned from where they were focused on the shadows of the far side of the common room to Anna's face. He shrugged and mumbled, "I'm worried that I might drive the party apart again."

Anna's jaw dropped. She snapped her mouth shut and shook her head, "Hey, you weren't the only one who caused this mess, you know."

"Maybe, but I was a major part of it," Lance said. "I'm a pretty rotten person to all of you. It's a wonder I haven't gotten stabbed, burned, or turned into a pin cushion yet."

"You're not going to try leaving next, are you?" Anna asked suspiciously.

Lance grunted, but shook his head. "No, I'm a selfish bastard. I like you guys too much to skip out," he told her.

Anna chuckled, "Good, because I'd have to follow you and drag you back." To her confusion, Lance tensed and fixed her with a serious look. "What's up?" she asked hesitantly.

The gunner sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Finally he said, "We've been getting… close."

The ranger flushed and nodded, "True."

"It needs to stop," Lance said flatly.

Anna's eyes widened and filled with hurt. She slumped and whispered, "I thought you liked me, too. Guess not, huh? I'll always be the annoying nature girl. Sorry for pestering you." She stood up and let the blanket he'd draped over her fall to the floor. "G'night, Lance," she mumbled.

Lance caught her wrist, only to let it go when she glared at him. "I do like you, and I don't want to hurt you," he told her in a dull voice. "But I'm not a good person, Anna. Just look at what I helped do to Natalie; I say things like that to all of you, and I doubt I'll stop any time soon. You should find someone nicer, you deserve nicer." To his confusion, Anna merely bristled further.

"So you think I'm incapable of choosing who I should care for, huh?" she hissed at him. "Did it ever occur to you that I _like_ that you speak your mind? If I had a serious problem with your attitude I would have told you so."

Lance looked stunned until Anna turned to stalk off. He sprang up and quietly called, "Wait, Anna!"

To his relief, the ranger stopped at the stairwell and looked back at him. He couldn't see her face in the shadows, but he knew she was impatiently listening. She turned her body all the way around and crossed her arms, waiting for him to speak. Lance gulped and shuffled where he stood for a moment.

"There… There's a festival going on here in a few weeks," he mumbled with a blush that was thankfully hidden by the gloom. He swallowed again and went on, "Would you like to go with me?"

Unseen by Lance, Anna's eyes widened in shock. Lance had very obviously asked her out on a date. He had listened to her, and seen that he was wrong to assume she disliked a very obvious part of his personality. Her face split into a bright smile and she moved to stand closer to him. Looking up into his hopeful eyes, she nodded.

"I'd love to," she agreed. She chuckled and added, "We should see if they have one of those shooting games. I bet you and I could hit all of the targets."

Lance's face split into a rare, brilliant smile. "Sure," he agreed. "We can see how long before they throw us out."

They stood there grinning until Lance bent to scoop up his blanket. He folded it and stuffed it away again before waving Anna ahead of him to the stairs. The ranger smiled at him as she turned for the staircase. She headed up the stairs with Lance close behind her and paused at her door. When the gunner walked past, she snagged him in a loose hug. Lance returned the embrace hesitantly and smiled as he pulled away.

"'Night, Anna. See you tomorrow," he said softly.

Anna nodded, "Goodnight."

As soon as Anna was in her room, she dashed for the bed and buried her face in a pillow to muffle an excited squeal. She cut it off and jolted up to see if she had woke Natalie, only to see the mage wasn't there. Anna shrugged and figured she must be staying with Matt for the night. She couldn't wait to tell her friend about the date tomorrow. Natalie would be ecstatic, and probably a little miffed that Lance had shaped up far faster than Matt had. The ranger toed her boots off and shrugged her bow to the floor. Once under the blanket, she quickly slipped off to sleep with a small smile on her lips.

* * *

 ** _A/N_** _: Hooray for OOC confessions on the moonlit beach of Goldenbrick! Probably a little angsty for Valentine's Day, but oh, well. This has actually been sitting in my documents for a long time (several months, actually), and now seemed as good a time as any to post it. I originally planned never to post it (one of_ _ _the_ many things I write that seem too long to be a one shot, but too short to be a whole story), but I forgot V-Day is a thing, and haven't prepared anything else for it. We'll see if I can get a second thing out later that's much happier; maybe the festival I mentioned in here, and make it a double date (which has been a request I've needed to fill for for a while).  
_


	15. NoLegs

***EDIT 3/22/2016* A guest has pointed out a fairly major typo on my part that I'm a little ashamed I somehow missed. Regardless, the error has been fixed. Thank you for both your help and the awesome review, guest! I'm glad you enjoy the stories so much; it's really heartening to hear! :3**

 **Title:** NoLegs

 **Summary** : A cute little first meeting for NoLegs and Matt.  
 **Rating** : K  
 **Genre** : Friendship

* * *

Matt grumbled as he shoved his way through another thicket. He was sick of being in this forest where everything was super overgrown. He wanted to get back out into a wide space where he could use his sword easily and comfortably. Unfortunately, he had no idea which way to go to get out. He slashed his way through another patch of plants and sighed, wiping a hand across his brow.

Suddenly, he heard a sudden explosion of noise nearby. The swordsman cocked his head and glanced around, searching for the source. He could hear yowling and snarling, but nothing was in sight. He cautiously drew his sword and began to make his way towards the noise. Maybe whatever was there could be eaten; it had been a long time since lunch, after all. The sounds abruptly died, and Matt pouted until he heard a series of excited yaps.

Matt grinned as he realized they were right on the other side of the bushes in front of him. He lunged out with his sword drawn to see a pair of wolfdogs standing over a dead cat. The two monsters took one look at him, snatched up their kill, and fled. Matt frowned and sheathed his weapon with a sigh, resigning himself to another night of rations. He turned away and was about to leave when he heard a pathetic mewing sound and stopped.

The swordsman scanned the small clearing for whatever had made the noise, but only saw the bloodstain from the fight. Then, he heard the mewing sound again and a patch of ferns rustled. Matt stepped forwards and knelt down to push the ferns aside. His eyes fell on a tiny kitten with blue fur, big blue eyes, and a head that was almost comically too large for its body. The kitten let out another pathetic mew and cowered down into a shivering ball, obviously expecting to be eaten.

Matt carefully reached forwards and gently scooped up the tiny animal, barely bigger than his hand. The kitten let out a piteous wail and writhed in his hands. Matt gently rubbed a finger across its forehead and down its back, but when he brought the finger back up, the kitten sank its tiny fangs into it. Matt winced at the pricking sensation, but he let the cat bite him, knowing that jerking away or yelping would scare the poor animal. Instead, he brought the shivering kitten closer to his chest and spoke to it gently.

"Hey, hey, you're okay," Matt murmured. The kitten looked up at him with big eyes and his finger in its mouth. Slowly, it let go of his finger and gave the mark a few licks with a tiny pink tongue. Matt smiled and said softly, "You're a good kitty, aren't you?" The small animal didn't reply, of course, but it did relax ever so slightly.

Matt looked back at the patch of blood on the ground and realized the cat that was killed earlier was probably this kitten's mother. He bit his lower lip and looked back down at the kitten in his hands. He couldn't just leave the poor orphaned cat to starve, freeze, or be eaten. Finally, he nodded to himself and moved one hand to his jacket pocket. He carefully transferred everything in it to his Adventure Pouch before depositing the kitten in his coat pocket.

Matt hushed the kitten softly when it cried and said, "It's okay. I'll take care of you." To his surprise, the kitten quieted down and quit squirming. Matt smiled and started walking again, occasionally running a finger over his new pet's head until it fell asleep.

The swordsman made his way through the trees and undergrowth with extra care as he didn't want to accidentally squish the kitten in his pocket. He still hadn't made it out of the forest when the sun finally set, and Matt sighed, deciding to just camp where he was. Even as he made the decision, he heard the kitten in his pocket begin to fuss. Matt carefully drew the kitten out of his pocket and sat down, setting the kitten down on his lap to gently pet it.

Still, the kitten fussed. It mewled at him constantly, revealing a tiny pink mouth and tongue with equally tiny white fangs. Matt stared down at the kitten, wondering what was wrong. It didn't feel cold, and he doubted his lap was all that uncomfortable for a cat. And then he mentally smacked himself as the answer came to him: the kitten was probably hungry. Matt frowned, wondering what to feed the cat. He mused that it was so young it probably needed milk still.

Matt chewed on his lip and dug out a carton of milk form his Adventure Pouch. The object was cold to the touch, kept that way by magic. He warmed the carton in his hand with a little fire magic, and then fished out a scrap of cloth. He twisted the cloth and dipped it into the milk before lowering it for the kitten. To his relief, the kitten smelled the cloth, licked it once, and then began trying to suck the milk off of it. Matt periodically dipped the cloth in the milk and when the kitten finally finished, it let out a small burp that made Matt grin.

"That was good, huh?" Matt asked. His smile widened when the kitten curled in his lap with a small, tired purr. He finished off the carton of milk and dug out a handful of jerky for his own dinner. When he'd finished eating, he gently cupped his hand around the tiny kitten to keep it warm, leaned back against the trunk of the tree, and shut his eyes.

The next morning, Matt awoke and sat up straight with a yawn. He glanced down at his lap and froze when he realized the kitten was missing. His eyes widened and darted around, searching for the small creature. He doubted that a predator had gotten the kitten while he was sleeping, unless the kitten had moved off of his lap. The swordsman looked around again and sighed with slumped shoulders. There was no way he'd find it again in this forest. The kitten was gone.

Still, Matt tried calling, "Kitty? Where'd you go?" Nothing answered him, and he stood up with a sad sigh. The kitten had been cute, and he wished he'd been able to raise it. But it was likely the animal had gotten eaten already, which, while perfectly natural, was still sad.

And then, Matt felt a shifting in his pocket as he stood straight. His eyes widened and he looked down in time to see the kitten poke its head out and mew. The swordsman's eyes widened and he beamed. Apparently, the kitten had merely shifted to his pocket during the night. Matt gently stroked the kitten's head with one finger.

"There you are. I was worried about you," Matt murmured. He listened to the responding mew and grinned, "What do you say we get out of this stupid jungle?"

Progress was slow as the undergrowth was still a problem, and Matt needed to take frequent breaks to let the kitten do its business and to feed it. Still, by the time the sun was setting, they'd reached the edge of the forest. Matt heaved a sigh of relief and glanced down at his companion as it sniffed the open breeze, and then sneezed at all the smells.

"Well, what do you think? Am I good enough to keep around?" Matt asked with a grin. The kitten mewed at him and purred. Matt laughed, "Good to know. Let's head to a town and see about getting some more milk: I'm almost out."

Then, with his new pet in his pocket, he set off for the nearest place he knew of.

 **OOOOOO**

Matt loved his new pet. The cat was playful, loved to cuddle, and was so cute and soft. It bounced around, constantly losing balance and toppling over only to bounce back up again. Over the course of just a couple of weeks, it was nearly double its original size, though. This meant that it barely fit in his pocket, and wouldn't fit at all before too much longer. On top of that, it was still only eating milk, which meant Matt needed to stay near towns. He'd taken the kitten to local pet store owner who'd guessed the cat was about three to four weeks old and confirmed its gender to be male. The man had offered to take the cat off his hands, but Matt had refused. He was attached to the little guy, so the store owner had supplied a formula to feed it, and directed him to be sure to keep the kitten clean, warm and fed, but past that, Matt was on his own.

Taking care of the kitten was time consuming. Matt did his best, but he had little idea of what actually needed to be done. But each time he even considered getting rid of the kitten he couldn't bring himself to do it. The creature obviously had complete trust in him, sleeping on his chest and rubbing against him with rumbling purrs that shook his tiny body. Clearly, the kitten had bonded with him, so Matt resigned himself to caring for him.

"Well, this is a problem," Matt mused when they discovered the kitten wouldn't fit in his pocket anymore. The kitten was eight weeks old and had been weaned off of the formula. The swordsman blinked down at the cat, which blinked back up at him with impossibly large blue eyes. Matt sighed and asked, "I don't suppose you'd consent to walking?" He snorted when the cat shook his furry head, "Didn't think so."

Matt was stumped. He couldn't fit the kitten in his pocket, but he didn't want to haul a carrier around, either; besides, he'd need his hands to fight. Suddenly, he felt a furry body pressing against his cheek and blinked in surprise when the cat was suddenly on his shoulder. The swordsman grinned at the animal, "That works, I guess. Can you stay there?" The kitten nodded, and Matt's grin widened, "Sweet. Let's go, then!"

As they walked, Matt suddenly realized he hadn't named his kitten yet. He glanced at the animal perched on his shoulder, but had no clue what to call it. Fluffy, Whiskers, or Pudding were typical, but stupid cat names. He still hadn't come up with a name when they stopped for lunch. Matt chewed on a travel biscuit, watching the kitten bounce around, pouncing on lines of ants in the grass. He grinned as he watched a blade of grass brush the kitten's back, and the animal jumped back, and whirled to pounce on the offending plant, rolling on top of it. Finally, Matt nodded to himself. He'd go with a name that was probably equally dumb as the earlier ones, but suited the cat.

"Hey, kitty, how does NoLegs sound for a name for you?" Matt asked. The kitten sat up and cocked his head at him. It cheerfully mewed and bounced over to rub against Matt's knee with a purr. The swordsman grinned and said, "NoLegs it is, then."

NoLegs seemed pleased with his new name and purred even more loudly. Matt ran a hand over the cat's silky fur and tilted his head to enjoy the sunshine. He flopped back and felt NoLegs move to curl on his chest for a midday nap. The gentle rumbling of the cat's purr coupled with the familiar weight and warmth lulled Matt into a light doze.

Several hours later, and Matt cracked an eye open as he felt NoLegs roll off his chest. The cat was back to bouncing around and the swordsman smiled, shutting his eye again. He jolted upright when NoLegs suddenly hissed, however. He twisted to see a pair of blackbirds had landed nearby and were eyeing the cat with hungry gleams in their eyes. Matt stood up and placed a hand on his sword hilt, drawing the birds' attention. The monsters squawked at him and took off, arrowing for his face.

Matt unsheathed and swung Heaven's Gate in a smooth arc, slicing one of the birds in half. The second bird swooped lower, diving for NoLegs. Matt's eyes widened and he let out a shout, only to gasp as a nearby stick floated off the ground to smack at the bird, warding it away. The swordsman blinked in shock at what seemed to be a possessed stick, but shook it off to kill the second bird. As soon as the monster was dead, he turned his attention to NoLegs. He stared as the floating stick hovered next to the cat, who cheerfully looked back at the swordsman.

"Uh, are you making the branch float, NoLegs?" Matt asked hesitantly. His mouth spread in a bemused smile when the cat nodded and swung the stick a few times. "Well, I don't know how you're doing that, but it's awesome," the swordsman said with a grin.

NoLegs seemed to agree with him as he bounced around, waving his new weapon at the blades of grass. Matt chuckled and turned his attention to the two dead birds. He shrugged and cleared a space for a fire, thinking it would be a waste to not eat the fresh meat. Soon, one bird was roasting on the fire, while the other was being carefully sliced into small chunks for NoLegs to eat. The cat purred his thanks and began chowing down on the meat. Once both had eaten their fill, Matt covered the fire and left the remains for whatever scavenger might want them. He crouched down to let NoLegs jump onto his shoulder and grinned when he realized the cat still had the stick floating at the ready. The swordsman chuckled and simply warned NoLegs not to hit him before starting to walk.

That evening, Matt got another surprise. NoLegs had begun making the stick vanish, and then summoning it again. The swordsman blinked in at the magic, thinking it looked similar to his own summoning spells. He eyed NoLegs thoughtfully as the cat began whacking at the grass again. Obviously, NoLegs was able to wield small weapons, and Matt wondered if the cat could be trained to fight. He shrugged, and decided it couldn't hurt to try.

"Hey, NoLegs, want to learn to fight?" Matt offered. He grinned when NoLegs froze mid swing and stared at him with wide eyes. The cat meowed and bounced over, staring up at Matt with an eager expression. And so began the strangest tutoring Matt had ever heard of.

NoLegs was a quick pupil. The cat picked up basic slashes and stabs with his stick in little time. Matt wondered if maybe cats were supposed to learn how to fight, and it was an engraved instinct. He'd never really had much contact with them before, and most pet stores didn't sell cats as pets because they were difficult to tame. But NoLegs had bonded with him, so Matt didn't think he needed to worry about the cat running off or attacking him. By the time they were settling to sleep, NoLegs had grasped a number of different attacks, and was yawning.

Matt ran a hand across the cat's back as they lay in the grass. "You're an awesome friend, NoLegs," Matt mumbled tiredly. He smiled as the cat purred in response. Tomorrow, he'd see about getting a dagger for the cat to use. If NoLegs could summon an actual blade in combat, then the cat was a viable partner, though Matt would still keep him out of trouble. While the cat was no longer drinking milk he was still just a kitten, and Matt didn't want to get his friend hurt. Still, he really believed that NoLegs would be an awesome fighter someday.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Okay, so I know that canonically NoLegs is a part member only to replace Mog for copyright reasons, and only after he helps Matt and Natalie beat down his fellow cats in EBF2, and I know that Matt's relationship with NoLegs is much more antagonistic than this, but I_ **REALLY** _wanted to write cute little kitten NoLegs. So there you go._ :3 _I hope you all enjoyed it!_

 _Also, do not ever feed your kittens human milk. It isn't good for them and does not provide the nutrients they need to be healthy; same thing goes for older cats, only then they can just get sick. Just want to put that out there._ ;P


	16. Stargazing

**Title:** Stargazing  
 **Summary:** A relaxed night spent looking at the night sky.  
 **Rating:** K  
 **Genre:** Friendship

* * *

Lance pushed open the door across the hall from his room saying, "Hey, Matt, have you seen my…" His words trailed off when he realized that the room was empty.

The bed was messed up, which wasn't so unusual given Matt's lack of ever making it up after using it. A few swords leaned against the wall and hung on a couple racks. There were a few supplies for cleaning and polishing weapons sitting on a simple table. A chair pushed away from the table had a discarded jacket over it. A closet door was open a little ways to reveal a laundry basket. The window was open, the curtains blowing in the evening breeze. But the swordsman was nowhere to be seen.

"Weird, I thought he was in here," Lance mumbled before heading back out into the hall. He had misplaced his tablet, and had been hoping Matt knew where it was.

With a shrug, he decided he'd ask Natalie or Anna if they'd seen it. A couple knocks and questions later revealed they didn't know. They also didn't know where Matt was. Natalie glanced up from the book she was reading on her bed, and asked if he'd checked the backyard where they'd set up some training dummies. Lance hadn't but a quick check out the window revealed it was empty. Anna had jokingly asked if maybe Matt had finally set up residence in the fridge, but the swordsman wasn't in the kitchen either.

"Matt?" Lance called from the platform of the stairs.

He was beginning to worry that the swordsman had slipped off again. The little solo excursions usually ended with the swordsman on bed rest for some reason or another. That was part of the reason the team was at their little-used house at all: Matt had been jumping across rocks on one leg, slipped, and sprained his ankle. Natalie had flatly told him she wasn't healing a stupid mistake, and so they'd taken a break from adventuring. His ankle was well enough to walk on now, but certainly not well enough to be fighting on.

"Still can't find him?" Anna called from the living room.

Lance walked down the stairs and, looking around, "I'm pretty sure he's not in the house. Did he walk past here?"

"Nope, you were the last one in the door," Anna replied, sipping at a glass of juice.

The gunner sighed and moved to tug his boots on, "I'm going to go poke around the yard. Be back in a little while."

"Good luck," Anna called cheerfully.

Lance stepped outside into the night. The area was quiet; their location far from any real civilization, and only nighttime bugs and distant monster cries could be heard. The night sky was clear, a waxing crescent moon hung halfway into the sky surrounded by stars. There was no sign of Matt anywhere on the unkempt lawn or the bench against the wall. He wasn't by the pond. He wasn't in the training field. Lance ran a hand through his hair and sighed in exasperation. If they found Matt collapsed on the ground somewhere in the woods, he was going to chain the man to a chair until he was recovered.

"What're you looking for?" Matt suddenly called.

Lance jumped and spun around, looking up. He saw Matt reclined on the roof above his open window. "You, actually," Lance replied. "What are you doing up there?"

"Stargazing," Matt called back, sitting up. "What did you need?"

"Nothing important, I just lost my tablet again," Lance sighed. "Mind if I come up and join you?"

"Plenty of space," Matt said cheerfully.

Lance headed back inside and told Anna, "Found him. He's on the roof."

"The roof?" Anna repeated with a confused look. "Why's he up there, and how did he get up there?"

"Climbed out his bedroom window, I guess, and he's stargazing," Lance replied, walking past.

"Sounds fun, do you think he'd mind if I came up?" Anna asked.

"Probably not, that's where I'm going now," Lance said as he climbed the stairs.

The ranger sprang up to follow, pausing only to ask if Natalie wanted to come. The mage stood up with a smile and trailed behind the other two. They headed into Matt's rooms and Lance clambered out the window to haul himself up onto the shingles. He reached a hand down to help Natalie up, while Anna lithely flipped herself up. Matt grinned a greeting at them from further up, his arms crossed behind his head, and one knee bent.

"It's a party, now, huh?" Matt asked cheerfully.

Anna chuckled as she picked a spot to settle down on not far away, "Something like that."

Natalie clambered up the roof to lie beside Matt with a shy smile. Lance settled down between Natalie and Anna, and they all fell silent, looking up at the stars. The sky spread out in all directions with the Milky Way a glimmering stripe in a velvet blanket dotted with sparkling gems. The crescent moon shone a gentle silver, with the dark side just noticeable. The stars glinted and twinkled in various colors of blue, green, red, and white. The air was warm with a light breeze, and the only sounds for the moment were the insects chirping. It was beautiful, and peaceful.

"It's pretty," Anna suddenly said in a hushed voice. It felt wrong to speak too loudly. "You could never see a sky like this in Greenwood. There are too many trees blocking your view," she added.

Lance nodded from her right, "Yeah, and where I grew up, there was too much light pollution. I used to spend a lot of time looking at them in books and stuff, though it never really matched up to reality."

"I used to look at stars all the time as a little girl," Natalie sighed. "It was a family tradition to go out on nights where there was a new moon to look at stars. It was never like this, though."

"Yup, we picked a good spot for the home base," Matt chuckled.

Natalie rolled her head to the side to look at the swordsman, whose eyes were fixed on the sky, his expression peaceful. "What about you? Did you look at stars as a kid?" she asked.

"Of course I did," Matt replied lightly. "My childhood home was smack dab in the middle of nowhere. I got to look at sight like this almost every night. My parents and I used to go camping in the wilderness in the summer, and we'd eat s'mores while making up stories for constellations."

"Sounds fun," Lance commented.

"It was," Matt agreed with a smile.

There were several moments of content silence as they returned to watching the sky. They didn't know how long they lay there, but no one felt like getting up to move. There was no point just yet, anyway. None of them were tired, and it wasn't like they needed to be anywhere. They simply watched the stars slowly slide past on the same set course they'd held for thousands of years. Suddenly, a shooting star zipped past.

"Quick, make a wish!" Natalie called.

Lance snorted, "No, that's dumb." He secretly did as she suggested, though.

Natalie elbowed him with her eyes closed as she made her wish.

Anna chuckled at Lance's disgruntled grumble, and made her own wish.

Matt smiled at the antics of his friends, glad they were all there and enjoying this night with him. He closed his own eyes and wished upon the star.

None of them ever told the others what they'd wished for, but it was the same between them: A long life of adventure and fun with their friends and team.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _I have a head-canon going for several of my stories that the team has a base they use to rest at between world saving quests, so that's where the house came from._

 _It might take a little while getting the next chapters up for most of my other stories as I have a writer's block on them that I'm slowly chipping my way through, one line at a time._

 _Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this little one shot! Please leave a review, and I'll be back soon!_


	17. Promise

**Title:** Promise  
 **Summary:** A childhood meeting, and ending with a promise kept for many years.  
 **Rating:** K  
 **Genre:** Friendship

* * *

The first time Natalie snuck off of her parents' property was when she was seven, and she didn't go very far—barely to the edge of the neatly kept trees. There, she saw a small village of worn-looking houses down a steep, grassy slope. The small girl crouched in the shadow of a shrub and peered down at the houses. People walked along the dirt road carrying baskets and buckets. A stray dog or two darted between their legs. She saw a group of children playing at the edge of the river, waving sticks at each other and running around, yelling. They looked as though they were having fun, and she wished she could join them. Still, she turned around and crept back to her house, unseen by anyone in the village.

The next time she snuck out was nearly two months later, right after her eighth birthday. Her parents had gone out on another one of their super-long vacations, leaving the elderly nursemaid to watch over their daughter. The old woman spent more time asleep than actually watching, however, which left Natalie with plenty of free time to do whatever she wanted. She _tried_ to listen to her parents' rule about not mingling with the 'commoners,' but she eventually caved.

" _It's boring staying inside all day, doing nothing but needle work, and reading, and baking,_ " Natalie thought to herself as she snuck through the trees. She wanted to run around, and play, and dig in the dirt, and maybe finally have someone who liked to talk about the same things she did. Not spend _more_ hours learning letters and doing math. Besides, it was such a beautiful day; it would be a waste to spend it indoors hunched over another boring book.

Natalie rounded a tree and came face to face with another kid. They stared at each other in stunned silence with matching expressions of wide-eyed surprise. The boy in front of Natalie had long blond hair and blue eyes way too big for his face. He held a stick in one hand and his clothes were covered in mud and grass stains. He didn't wear any shoes, and his arms and legs were covered with small scratches and scrapes. He was also a little shorter than she was.

Finally, Natalie recovered and held out her right hand, and chirped, "My name is Natalie. Pleased to meet you!"

The boy looked confused for a second before he grabbed her hand with his left hand and said in a hesitant voice, "Uh, I'm Matt?"

Natalie giggled as he shook her hand backwards. She bounced in place for a moment before asking, "What are you doing?"

Matt shifted back a little, looking nervous as he mumbled, "Seeing who lives in the nice house…" His eyes widened and he blurted out, "You can't tell my parents! Dad said he'll yell my ears off if he catches me up here again! And I like my ears!"

"Okay, but only if you don't tell mine that I'm out here," Natalie agreed. She looked at Matt's ears and nodded, "They're very nice ears. We wouldn't want someone to yell them off."

Matt looked relieved and he asked, "So, what're you doing out here?"

Natalie puffed her cheeks out in a pout, "It's a nice day, and I didn't want to spend it inside reading."

"Wow, you can _read_?" Matt asked with a wide grin that revealed he was missing one of his front teeth.

"Yeah, but I'd rather be running around," Natalie said with another pout.

"I like to run," Matt agreed cheerfully. He shifted from one leg to the other in an excited bounce before asking, "Want to see one of my favorite places to run?"

Natalie had only a brief moment of hesitation as she thought of what her parents would say. But she pushed it out of her mind almost immediately as the excitement of doing something new and interesting took over. "Yeah! Let's go!"

Matt immediately snagged Natalie's wrist with his free hand and darted off into the trees. Natalie yelped as she stumbled, trying to keep up with him, but soon found her stride and was running alongside him. She let out a laugh as they crashed through bushes and plants, scaring small animals underground or up trees. They reached a small stream, and Matt dashed clean through it, but didn't get too much further before he realized Natalie had stopped.

"What's wrong? We're almost there!" Matt called back, trotting back to the edge of the stream.

Natalie was looking at the water and the muddy bank with a frown. "It's muddy," she complained.

Matt frowned in confusion, "Yes? It doesn't hurt. Just run through. The water washes most of it off, anyway."

Natalie chewed on her tongue in thought for a moment before slipping her slipper shoes off. She held them in one hand as she stepped onto the mud, and giggled as it squelched up between her toes. She jumped there a few times, splattering mud everywhere, getting it all over her light blue dress without a care. Matt splashed across again with a grin to join her, and the two children leapt around for a while, churning the soft dirt into a fine mud. Finally, however, Matt tugged on Natalie's wrist, and they splashed through the stream together.

Natalie shivered slightly at the cold water, but then they were running through the trees once more. She didn't even notice that she'd left her shoes behind, and was running barefoot. Then, they burst out of the trees on a grassy slope. Matt immediately lied down and rolled down the slope, laughing all the way. Natalie was quick to join him, and shrieked with laughter all the way down. They lay on the ground giggling as their vision spun from dizziness before Natalie jumped up and ran back up the hill to do it again.

They ran up and rolled down the hill over and over for hours. They played games of jumping over one another, and racing each other up. Neither one noticed how much time was passing until the sun began to sink in the sky and a cooler breeze began to blow. Natalie shivered from where she lay with a wide, breathless grin next to Matt, and that was when she noticed how late it was.

Natalie jolted upright with and said, "Uh, oh. I'd better get back before my nanny finds out I was gone."

Matt rolled his head to look at her before sitting up as well, "Okay, let's go. I have to eat dinner soon, anyway."

They backtracked through the trees, going a little slower than before. Natalie was smiling brightly as she and Matt talked about all kinds of things ranging from their least favorite food, to how cute cats were, to things their parents did that were confusion or irritating. They reached the edge of Natalie's yard, and stopped.

"Can you play tomorrow, too?" Matt asked. "No one else likes to roll down the hill with me."

Natalie frowned, "If I can sneak out again, maybe?"

Matt smiled hopefully, "I'll wait in the same place."

Natalie smiled back, "Okay. I hope to see you tomorrow.

Matt turned to go, calling back over his shoulder, "'Night, Natz!"

Natalie waved and turned to head back across her lawn. She opened her door very carefully, and tiptoed inside. She thought she had made it back undiscovered until a throat cleared. Natalie jumped and whirled around with a guilty expression to see her nanny watching her with a disapproving frown.

"And _where_ have you been?" the old woman asked with an arched brow.

Natalie winced, "Outside?"

"Look at you: covered in mud and grass stains, your dress is ruined, and you must have half a tree tangled in your hair. And where are your shoes? Just wait until your father hears about this. Come now, let's get you cleaned up and then it's off to bed."

Natalie's eyes widened, "What about dinner?"

"You did not do your reading, and you snuck outside to get filthy. No dinner tonight."

Natalie's eyes widened even further at the unfairness of that. She stomped her foot and complained, "But I'm _hungry!_ "

"Then perhaps you'll think of _that_ the next time you decide to disobey," the woman said briskly with absolutely no sympathy.

Natalie scowled as she was herded upstairs, and muttered mutinously all the while. She took her bath and dressed in her nightgown before being tucked into bed with a final admonishment to be good tomorrow.

Natalie's nanny watched the young girl like a hawk over the next few days. There were no opportunities to sneak out to see Matt, and she hoped he wasn't mad. But five days later, Natalie was reading studiously, occasionally peeking at her nanny, who was drifting off with her knitting in her lap. As soon as the woman was asleep, Natalie carefully put her book down, and stood up. She tiptoed out of the room, dodging all the squeaky floorboards. Once she was in the hall, she moved a little faster, darting for the front door. She ran into the trees, heading for where she'd first met Matt.

To her amazement, Matt was sitting on the ground under a tree with a bored look on his face as he threw bits of dirt at a tree with varying degrees of accuracy. His expression changed drastically when Natalie called his name, and he scrambled up with an excited smile.

"You came!" he cheered, "I thought you forgot about me."

Natalie shook her head with a wide smile, "My nanny was being a nag and wouldn't let me go play. But then she fell asleep, so here I am!"

Matt made a face, "She sounds like my mom. Why are adults so boring?"

Natalie shrugged, "Dunno. So, what are we doing today?"

"Want to go back to the hill?" Matt asked hopefully. His smile fell when Natalie shook her head, "Aww, but that was so much fun…"

"I got in big trouble for that," Natalie whispered, "We have to do something that gets me less dirty."

Matt tilted his head thoughtfully before asking, "Can you teach me to read?"

Natalie blinked a few times in surprise, "Why would you want to do that?"

"Because then I can read all the best books on how to use a sword!" Matt declared, scooping up a stick to brandish with excessive flourish.

Natalie giggled as he swung the stick around with exaggerated yells and finally nodded, "Okay, I can try. Come on, I can draw in the dirt."

The entire day—and the next few days after that—were spent teaching Matt the letters of the alphabet and their sounds with a few crude pictures to help. Matt was slow at first, but dedicated to learning. His _d_ 's, _b_ 's, and _c_ 's came out backwards more often than not, but he was a quick learner, and eager to read. They stopped at that when Natalie heard her name being called and had to leave, though she promised to help again the next day.

"I've gotta go. I'll bring some books next time," she told Matt.

Matt nodded with shining eyes, "Okay, see you soon!"

Natalie waved and trotted back to her house. Her nanny looked displeased at her vanishing again, but sighed and forgave her as she remembered hating sitting still as a kid, and Natalie hadn't ruined another dress. The young girl promised to finish her readings after dinner and get started early the next day.

It took a few days, but soon, Natalie was writing out simple sentences from her books in extra-large letters, and Matt was slowly and carefully reading though them. Natalie cheered when Matt successfully read four lines that she wrote out. The young girl gave Matt a few of her easiest books to keep reading through, promising that she had plenty at home, and had already read them.

Months passed that way. Natalie would work extra hard to get through her lessons so that she could go find Matt and all but repeat them with him. Days that they didn't do reading and writing were spent tromping through the woods, throwing rocks in the stream, and looking for animals to watch. They found a litter of kittens in a hollow tree, and squealed over how cute the little creatures were until the mother came and chased them off. They still came back almost every day after that to see them, though, until the mother cat was less suspicious. As long as they didn't try to touch the kittens, then she mostly ignored them.

Natalie's nanny was onto the girl's escapades almost immediately, but did nothing to stop her excursions and friendship with a common child. She thought it was a good thing the girl had a friend instead of being cooped up all day with her parents perpetually out of the house. And anything that got Natalie working without daydreaming or fussing was definitely a good thing in her books. In fact, the woman even began packing snacks for Natalie to take with her to share with her friend, and only made Natalie promise to be back at certain times and not to tell her parents.

It was that winter when everything changed. Natalie's parents were in the house for once, and it made it much harder for the girl to sneak out to see Matt and NoLegs, the feral cat from the litter they'd watched that had begun to follow them around to play. Worse than the presence of her stuffy parents, however, was the fact that they planned to send Natalie away to a boarding school. She had no say in the matter when it was revealed, and was shipped off without even getting the chance to say goodbye to her friend.

Tears ran down Natalie's cheeks as she looked out the window of the carriage taking her away. She really hoped her nanny would remember to let Matt know she hadn't simply forgotten about him, and would definitely miss him. The old woman had promised to pass along her message and to give Matt a few books to keep up with his reading while she was gone.

Matt sat huddled in the usual spot, bundled up in an oversized, hand-me-down jacket, waiting for Natalie. His friend had been missing for almost two weeks now, which was the longest that she hadn't shown up since he'd met her. He really hoped she would be out today, because there was fresh snow on the ground, and he wanted to build snowmen and have a snowball fight. He absently petted NoLegs' head from where it stuck out of the neck of his jacket. The cat meowed, asking what was taking so long.

"She'll be here soon, I know it," Matt told the cat in a certain tone.

As if in response to his words, he could suddenly hear footsteps crunching through the snow. Matt sprang to his feet with an excited smile, and NoLegs squirmed out of his jacket to bounce next to him. The boy's mouth opened to greet Natalie, but shut again with a snap when he saw an elderly woman with a bag over one arm, instead. Instantly, his eyes widened with fear at being caught trespassing. But before he could take one step, the woman spoke.

"Are you Matt?" she asked calmly.

Matt's eyes narrowed and he nodded slowly, "Yes. Who're you?"

The woman smiled slightly, "I would be the young Miss Natalie's nanny, and the one who has been sending you two sweets."

Matt's face split into a smile, "That was _you?_ Thank you! Those cookies were the bestest cookies ever! Can you tell me when Natalie will come play? We promised to make snowmen when the snow finally came!"

"I'm sorry, Matt, Natalie won't be coming to play for some time," the nanny said in a gentle voice.

Matt's smile faltered, "Aww… Why? Is she sick?"

"No, but she's been sent away to a special school."

"I thought she learned at home?" Matt asked in confusion.

"Not this kind of learning," the nanny said with a shake of her head. "No, Natalie is going to learn to harness magic for spells."

Matt's eyes widened and shone with awe. "Really?" he squeaked in an excited voice.

"Really," the nanny confirmed with a smile. Her smile fell some as she added, "But learning magic takes time. A long time. So I'm afraid your friend won't be able to come play with you anymore."

Matt shook his head with a smile, "That's okay. She's learning magic! She told me she always wanted to learn how to use magic! I can wait while she does that. When will she be back?"

"Not for close to eight years."

Matt's jaw dropped, " _Eight years?!_ But she'll be an old lady and I'll be an old man by then! How are we supposed to go fight monsters and find treasure together if we both have big, old, gray beards and wrinkles?"

The old woman laughed heartily, "Silly child, you won't get a beard or wrinkles that soon in your life!"

Matt looked unconvinced, but he nodded, "Okay, then. I guess I'll just have to become the bestest swordsman ever while she'd becoming the bestest mage, then we can go find treasure!"

The nanny smiled at Matt's brave enthusiasm. She held out the bag she was carrying and said, "Natalie told me she's been teaching you how to read and write, and wanted me to give you these to keep helping you. You really got her working on her own reading, so thank you, and if you ever need help with something, don't hesitate to knock and ask for Kerry. I'll help whenever I can."

Matt accepted the bag, and staggered some at how heavy it was. He peered in the sack and saw a number of large books. A few seconds later, and he made a face as he thought about having to read them. The novelty of learning to read had long since worn off, and he'd only really kept learning because Natalie had told him it was fun to teach him. Then it hit Matt that the books were a gift from Natalie, and he immediately vowed to read every single one, no matter how boring it was. He looked back up at the kind, old woman smiling at him.

"Thank you! Tell Natalie when she comes back that I said I'm going to read all of them, and that she'd better be ready to go fight monsters because I'll be waiting!" he said to the old woman.

Kerry smiled and nodded, "I will. Take care on your way home, Matt."

Matt nodded and turned to go with the sack over one shoulder, calling for NoLegs. The boy and cat tromped off through the snow, heading for the small village. The old woman watched him go with a soft smile. She could see why Natalie had liked the boy so much: he was like a little ball of sunshine and enthusiasm. She really hoped he would remember his promise when Natalie came home, because she doubted Natalie would forget about her first friend.

 **OOOOOO**

Natalie launched out of the carriage onto her front lawn with an excited smile. It had been way too long since she'd seen home. She grinned as the bushes and flowers seemed so much smaller now, eight years later. She stood almost twice as tall as she had when she was eight, and had gained all the curves of a young woman. She now had a twisting wooden staff across her back, proof of her graduation from the magic academy where she'd done remarkably well, passing the top of her class in everything.

It had been a fruitful experience, but very lonely. She hadn't made any really close friends as almost the women there were a lot older than her, and any around her age had been very snobbish while the men had only been interested in flirting with her. Her only bright points aside from the lessons had been letters from home which, during the first four years, had often included tidbits about the occasional visit from Matt for help with reading.

Natalie's smile fell as she thought about Matt. He hadn't been seen at the manor at all during the last three years, and the last year that he had been by had only seen him a few times. Kerry had mentioned that Matt had long since finished the books, and hadn't been interested in reading more. She also talked about how he had acquired a sword. The young mage supposed he must have set off to slay monsters without her. And while she'd eventually expected that after so long apart and having only known each other for a short time, she was still a little hurt that he'd left her behind.

The mage was broken out of her thoughts by the rattling of the carriage pulling away, and she blew out a sigh as she scooped up her travel bag and headed for the house. She walked in the front door, and called a greeting. Kerry was already waiting to give her a welcoming hug. Natalie returned the embrace tightly before standing back to look over her nanny.

"You don't look like you've changed one bit," Natalie noted with a grin.

Kerry huffed, but was beaming at Natalie, "Well, I see your attitude hasn't changed nearly as much as your body. And what a fine young woman you've become. I bet you turn every man's head as you pass!"

Natalie rolled her eyes with pink cheeks, "Something like that, yes." She smiled widely and added, "Thank you so much for sending those letters; I think I would have gone batty without them. And thank you for helping Matt with his reading. He… hasn't been by at all since your last letter, has he?"

Kerry's smile faded some, "No, he hasn't. I'm sorry, Natalie."

Natalie shrugged, trying not to show how much that bugged her. "It's fine. I suppose it was pretty childish to expect him to still be here after so long. He'll be turning eighteen in just a couple more weeks. He's probably got a girlfriend and tons of monsters to occupy his time."

A knock at the front sounded before Kerry could reply to that. The elderly woman moved to answer the guest, and her shoulders stiffened with surprise. Natalie cocked her head in confusion at that, and moved forwards to look out curiously. Her eyes fell on a tall young man with long blond hair and a sword with a green hilt across his back. He had a muscled physique that was partially hidden by his clothing and various pieces of light armor. And then Natalie stiffened as she met the man's blue eyes. Blue eyes she definitely recognized—blue eyes that took a moment before lighting up as they stared at her.

"Natalie!" Matt cried with delight and a wide, familiar grin.

His voice was much deeper than Natalie recalled, but it still held the same note of happiness at seeing her. Her own mouth opened and shut a few times while a gesture from Kerry had Matt stepping inside so that the door could be shut. Finally, Natalie seemed to get her mind working again.

"Matt? Is that really you?" she breathed in amazement.

Matt's grin only widened, "Yup! I promised to come get you to fight monsters and find treasure with, remember?"

Natalie's eyes welled with happy tears as her heart melted. She lunged forwards to tackle Matt with a hug, wrapping her arms around his strong chest. She felt him flail around as he spluttered in confusion before awkwardly patting her on the back with one hand. "You remembered," she whispered.

Matt finally returned the hug, "Of course I remembered. Why would I forget the most important promise I made to my best friend?"

Natalie pulled back to wipe her eyes with one arm and let out a laugh, "Of course. How have you been?"

"Pretty good," Matt replied with an easy shrug and a grin.

His grin took on a sly cast as he scanned Natalie up and down. She expected him to make some kind of ribald comment on her chest, and her mouth tightened.

" _Ha!_ Looks like _I'm_ taller than _you_ , now," Matt noted with immense satisfaction. He held a hand up to the top of his head and then stuck it out over Natalie's, clearing her height by over half a foot, "By a lot, too."

Natalie deflated in shock at his complete lack of any kind of notice for her curves, and, strangely, felt a twinge of disappointment for that same reason. Then she snorted out a laugh as his words caught up to her and she recalled all the times Matt had complained about her being taller than him. She shook her head with a fond smile and turned to Kerry. The old woman had been watching the reunion with a warm smile, and shrewd eyes.

"We can talk over lunch, right?" Natalie asked hopefully.

Kerry nodded, "Of course. There's plenty of food, since your… parents sent word that they wouldn't be able to make it." The old woman's face showed her disgust with the once again absent parents, but it vanished as she turned to address Matt, "Would you like to join Natalie for lunch, Matt?"

Matt cheered, "Point the way, and pile on those awesome cookies!"

Natalie felt a flash of bitterness at her parents once again being away; they were always gone, and couldn't even be bothered to welcome their only child home after eight years away. But her unhappiness was easily pushed aside by Matt's cheer and enthusiasm, still as strong as it had been when he was eight. She led him down the hall to the dining room; she couldn't wait to get caught up, and, eventually, get out into the world to start adventuring. Her parents weren't there to demand she do something they wanted with her magic, and she would be sure to be long gone when they finally deigned to show up. She was sick of waiting for them to be there, and they had missed their last chance. It was time to start living her own life, not be conformed to be what they wanted.

And as she and Matt ate—or rather, as she ate, and Matt inhaled—and exchanged what they'd been doing with their lives, she knew she had made the right decision.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Yeah, I'm not dead, and I am still writing, just not in the places I really_ **should** _be writing._ (._.;) _Anyway, this was just another origin story for Matt and Natalie. And NoLegs, too, I guess. I did one earlier, but this idea came to me while doing the mindless task of folding clothes for customers to unfold, and had to be written._

 _Fun fact for all of you about my writing life: I started writing with An Epic Retelling back in October of 2015, and recently put all of the words I've written into one document. It came out to over one million words._ _ **One. Million**_ _. Sweet Godcat, someone needs to stop me._

 _Anyway, I may post a few of those stories on FF (They are all EBF because I have issues), but they'd be in drabble-like chunks of plots in all genres and of all kinds that are not fully written (meaning they tend to start abruptly, and do not reach any real conclusion). I do plan to write several of the stories at some point, but not in the immediate future. But if reading some of my unfinished works interests any of you, please let me know in the reviews._

 _As for updates on my progress in_ Retribution _,_ Shadow of the Blight _, and_ The Long Road Home _: I have started the next chapters in each of them, and am steadily working through them. Here's hoping I get one out soon, right?_


	18. Fusion Sword

**Title:** Weapons  
 **Rating** : T  
 **Warnings:** Mild Language, accidental head-shot attempt  
 **Genre** : Humor, Friendship  
 **For** : Anonymous (Guest)

* * *

Lance recoiled in shock as a glowing bullet whizzed past his face, barely missing his nose, to explode a rock ahead of the party, causing both Natalie and Anna to leap into the air. He whirled around a split second later to see Matt with a wide-eyed, guilty expression, and his new Fusion Sword in hand.

"Sorry, I didn't mean… Sorry!" Matt yelped.

Lance's right eye twitched as he demanded, "And what the _hell_ did you just do?"

Matt shuffled in place for a moment before holding up his weapon and mumbling, "I, um, found a trigger, and, er, wanted to know what it did?"

"You found a trigger, and you just pulled it?" Lance repeated flatly.

"Yes? It, uh, seemed like a cool idea, and not like something that might potentially, um, take your head off?"

The gunner exploded. He threw his arms into the air and shouted, "What kind of _idiot_ just pulls a random _trigger_ on a _weapon_ without knowing what it might do? And never mind that you're _in the back_ _of the group_ right now! For Godcat's sake, Matt, weapons aren't toys. Now gimme that. You clearly have no idea how to use a gun, and have the sense of a toddler if you think trying out firearms for giggles is a good idea. You're lucky you didn't hit anyone, or dislocate your arm, or something."

Matt let out a protesting noise when Lance snatched his new sword and stuffed it away in his own Adventure Pouch. He'd just gotten that blade, and it was one of his coolest looking ones yet. He scowled at Lance as the gunner turned away and stomped to catch up with Natalie and Anna, both of whom looked amused at the whole fiasco. The swordsman crossed his arms with a pout as he trailed after his friends, already planning on getting back his sword. Stealing blades was his shtick, after all, not Lance's.

But, as it turned out, he didn't have to steal his weapon back. Early that evening, Lance passed his Fusion Sword back to him with a curt demand to come learn how to properly shoot a gun. The swordsman scrambled up with an eager grin and followed Lance a short distance away from the camp fire. He listened with rapt attention as Lance explained about how his Fusion Sword fired, proper bracing, and aiming. Soon, he had Matt practicing firing his Fusion sword, and all the while correcting his form. After about twenty minutes he clapped a hand on Matt's shoulder.

"You are now about eighty percent less likely to hit your friends, and twenty percent less likely to blow your arms off," Lance told Matt with a smirk.

Matt frowned, "Only twenty?"

"Well, it does cause an explosion, and you are normally in the thick of the battle," Lance reasoned. He turned to head back to the fire, sarcastically calling back over his shoulder, "Try to be careful, mkay?"

Matt gulped with a nod and followed Lance back. It wasn't until months later that he found out the explosions couldn't actually hurt him as they were powered by his own mana. And Lance only laughed at him for taking so long to figure that out.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _I saw your review, and I couldn't resist. XD It's pretty short—more of a drabble than anything else—but I hope you liked it all the same!_


	19. Drabbles 1

**_A/N:_** _So here are a bunch of little drabbles with no connection to each other or any other posted works. Some of them have longer bits attached to them, but probably won't be posted, and a few were requests. I'll probably do more like these in the future. Enjoy!_

 **Title:** Drabbles 1  
 **Genre:** Humor, friendship  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Warnings:** Language

* * *

 **(Death Mech)**

"Hey, Lance, can I ask you to build me something?" Matt asked with a hopeful smile.

Lance rolled out from under the chassis of his Valkyrie to give Matt a surprised, curious look. He'd never had anyone on the team ask him to build something for them. "Depends on what it is," he finally replied.

"I want a giant robot that I can ride around in and kill monsters with," Matt said with a wide grin.

Lance arched a brow and shook his head, "Nope, can't do that."

Matt pouted, "Aw, you don't know how?"

"Sadly, no, I don't. And even if I could build a pilotable death mech, I wouldn't build one for you," Lance said dismissively.

Matt crossed his arms to frown, "Why not?"

"Because _I'd_ want the death mech," Lance said with a smirk.

Matt's frowning face morphed into a grin. "Of course," he chuckled.

 **(Posture)**

"Better change the sizes," Lance said offhandedly.

Natalie and Anna glanced around. They looked back down at their notes of sizes for new armor for the team, and frowned, trying to figure out where they'd messed up.

"I'm pretty sure this is all right," Anna said after a few long moments.

Lance shook his head, "If you get the men's armor in the same size, then it won't fit Matt's: he's taller than me."

Natalie blinked in surprise, "Wait, really? I thought for sure you two are the same height."

And looking at the two men leaning against the wall seemed to reinforce that thought. The tops of their heads lined up almost perfectly. Lance and Matt stood off the wall at a gesture from Natalie, who stood on tip toe to be sure the tops of their heads were lining up. Lance rolled his eyes when the mage came to the same conclusion that they were the exact same height.

"Matt slouches when he stands," the gunner explained impatiently. He arched a brow when Matt looked confused, and said, "Stand up straight, Matt. Shoulders squared and back, head up and level, back straight, don't bend your knees. _Act_ like you have a spine, at the very least."

Matt looked confused at the commands, but did as Lance said. And sure enough, he was nearly two inches taller than Lance when standing with proper posture. Anna whistled at the difference that proper posture had on Matt. Natalie looked equally impressed, though her lips quirked in a grin when Matt soon slouched back down.

"Okay, so Matt is taller," Natalie conceded. She glanced at Matt and added, "You should probably work on your posture; having a bad one can lead to back problems."

Matt shrugged, "Hasn't bothered me yet."

 **(Valkyrie)**

On the third day that Anna came back with no game, she was scowling.

"I thought you were a _great hunter, the best in Greenwood_ ," Lance mocked as he munched on a bag of chips from where he sat on the edge of his Valkyrie tank. He mumbled around a mouthful, "If _you're_ the best they have, then it's no wonder your village's stupid rock was taken."

Anna glared at Lance, "I'm a phenomenal hunter. It's not my fault that the prey is scared off."

Lance snorted as he popped another chip in his mouth, "Please, I've been through here before, and I know there are tons of game animal out there just waiting to be taken down. You must be blundering through the trees like a fuming rhino to scare all of them off."

Anna's glare deepened as she said in an icy tone, "More like a clunky metal behemoth. Tell me: do you use your tank to go on hunts?"

Lance scoffed, "Of course not. It would scare the game off for… miles… around…" He trailed off as Anna arched a pointed brow.

"Exactly," Anna snapped. "How the hell do you expect me to catch anything when your fancy car is rumbling along giving everything in a five mile radius plenty of warning that something's amiss?"

"It's a tank, not a car," Lance fumed. He scowled over at where Matt and Natalie were smirking at him, "Gods, you're all a bunch of unwashed idiots."

"It takes an idiot to know an idiot," Anna growled. She pointed at the Valkyrie and said flatly, "If you want to eat food that doesn't make you sick, then you need to ditch the rolling metal mass. I'm never going to find anything of substance if your trundling box of booms is warning them that I'm there."

"She has a point, Lance," Natalie piped up to say.

Lance crossed his arms stubbornly, "I'm not leaving my precious Valkyrie behind. What if I need her for battle?"

Matt grinned as he said, "I manage just fine without one."

"Yeah, well not all of us have substituted a brain in favor of more muscle," Lance said snidely.

"So you admit you're weaker than Matt?" Anna asked with a sly look in her eyes.

Lance glared at her, "I am not! You want to see me fight without my tank, then fine." He jumped down and followed the others through the trees. He missed the triumphant gleam in Anna's eyes, and the grin Natalie hid behind her hand. In fact, it wasn't until that evening as they were eating a roast deer that Anna had caught that he realized he'd been had.

 **(Snow)**

"Matt seems happy," Anna noted with a grin, watching Matt leap through the snow like a child.

Lance nodded, looking torn between amusement and exasperation as he also watched Matt dive headfirst into a snowdrift. "Yeah, he always gets like this in the snow. I dunno why, though," he sighed.

Natalie shrugged, "Everyone has their favorite things; one of Matt's just happens to be snow."

Matt called from further ahead, "Hey, the pond is entirely frozen! Can we go skating?"

Anna snorted, "Who wants to skate?"

"Nuh-uh," Natalie said immediately, "I have two left feet when I skate."

Lance smirked at her and asked, "Worried it'll end up like last time?"

"Last time?" Anna asked with an intrigued smile.

Natalie flushed and mumbled, "I, _er_ , lost my balance, and accidentally melted the ice with some magic. The guys had to pull me out."

Anna snorted, "Nice."

"Come on!" Matt called bounding back towards the others with an excited grin. "Don't worry, Natz! I'll teach you how to skate!"

The mage spluttered protests that went ignored as Matt began hauling her by the wrist through the snow. Lance shook his head with a sigh and trudged after them, walking along the furrow Matt had plowed. Anna grinned as she followed, thinking it was cute to see Matt acting so childish, and dragging the others along with him. She crested the hill in time to see Natalie digging both heels into the snow to try and stop the bull-headed swordsman from dragging her onto the icy pond. Her attempts were useless, and she let out a short scream as Matt led her onto the ice.

"Calm down, it's not that bad," Lance chided with a sigh.

" _Not that bad?_ " Natalie shrilled as she clung to Matt's arm. "I'm going to die, I just know it!"

Matt grinned, seemingly oblivious to the mage's terror, "I'll protect you! Now then, spread your feet just a little bit and angle your toes out…"

Anna settled down on her heels in the snow, propping her chin up on her hands as she watched her two friends. Natalie, once she had calmed slightly, began to grasp the basics of skating. Matt encouraged her all the while, giving pointers and tips until the mage seemed to be doing well. Lance stood not far from Anna with his hands in his pockets, scanning the landscape for any monsters though he also watched the lesson happening on the ice. Natalie was beginning to grin slightly as she got the hang of keeping her balance. She had to admit that it was kind of fun once you got the hang of it.

"Got it?" Matt asked cheerfully, still holding Natalie's hands.

Natalie nodded slightly, "Yeah, I think so…"

"Good," Matt said, and abruptly let go of Natalie's hands. He winced as she promptly panicked and fell face first on the ice. "I thought you had it?"

"I don't, apparently," Natalie groaned from the ground. She tried to stand up only to be unable to get any traction to do so on the ice, and slipped back down. "Help?" she begged.

Matt chuckled and held his hands out for the mage to grasp. He hauled her back up with expert balance and guided her back to the edge of the pond. Halfway there, a snowball smacked him in the face. Matt spluttered in shock, and glared at the two on the bank. Anna was pointing at Lance, who was pointing back at her. Both wore wide-eyed, innocent looks. In reality, they'd both thrown a snowball at their friend.

"This means war," Matt declared. He shot across the ice, dragging Natalie with him, and spun to land her safely on her feet on the edge. He leaned down to scoop up some snow, and flung it at Lance, only to scowl as his aim went a little wide. A snowball smacked him in the side of the head, and a giggle from Natalie told him she'd been the perpetrator.

The giggling cut off as another snowball caked itself on the back of the mage's head, courtesy of Anna. And then there were snowballs flying everywhere. Shouts and laughs rang out. Alliances were temporarily made only to be broken few minutes later. It wasn't until the sun began to dip in the sky that a truce was called. The four friends gathered up, grinning and chuckling, and coated with snow.

"That was fun," Anna sighed as she dug out the team's large tent.

Lance was clearing the snow from a large area with magic to set up their tent as he added, "Been awhile since I've had a snowball fight."

Natalie was brushing the snow from her hair as she admitted, "That was my first one. It was fun."

Matt was helping Anna pitch the tent, but he glanced over in surprise, "You've never had a snowball fight before today? What a deprived child you must've been."

 **(Reluctant Singer)**

"You three are so lucky. We never get to hear Anna sing anymore, but you guys probably get to hear her every night!" a villager sighed.

His wistful statement caused the three waiting by the gate to shoot him confused looks.

"Anna sings?" Matt asked.

"Very beautifully: better than any I've ever heard before," a second villager agreed.

Natalie cocked her head, "I've never even heard her so much as whistle, much less sing—outside of her healing magic, anyway."

"Really? That's a shame," the first villager said in an almost-amazed tone.

Lance arched a brow as he muttered, "My life is plenty fine without any more screeches from Anna."

"She wouldn't screech if you'd quit picking on her," Matt pointed out.

"But she's hot when she's mad."

Natalie rolled her eyes, and muttered, "Figures that's why he does it. He did the same thing to me for years."

"You're hot when you're mad, too. Also pretty hot when you aren't."

"Matt, you'll make sure I resurrect Lance after I kill him, right?"

"Er, I guess so?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence for my life, man."

"Sorry 'bout that, guys, I couldn't find my adventure pouch," Anna called as she jogged up. She smiled at the two villagers and said, "I'm off!"

"Take care, Anna."

The four filed out of the village. Anna shot Natalie a curious look for the death-glare the mage was giving Lance. The gunner merely smirked back at her with an arched brow. Matt subtly shifted between them, cutting off the staring-glaring contest.

"So, we heard you sing well, Anna," the swordsman commented cheerfully.

Anna flushed, "Who told you that?"

"Those two at the gate," Natalie replied, finally giving up shooting Lance a glare through Matt's body. She turned her attention to Anna's embarrassed face and asked, "How come you've never done it before? Sang, I mean."

Anna shrugged, and mumbled, "I'm not that good."

"The two we were speaking with seemed to think otherwise," Matt said with a puzzled look.

"Practically thought your screeching could charm anyone," Lance added in a bored tone.

Anna rolled her eyes, "The villagers say a lot of things about me that aren't true. Exaggerating my skills is about all they do all day." Her cheeks were still pink.

"Can we hear you sing some time?" Natalie asked hopefully.

"I think I'd rather spare you guys. I'm really not that good," Anna mumbled.

"Aw, come on: let us be the judge of that!" Matt pressed. He fixed Anna with puppy-dog eyes and said, "Please?"

Lance snorted and sighed, "You might as well agree to one song, just to shut them up: they'll never stop badgering you otherwise."

"I'd really rather not, if it's all the same," Anna said, self-consciously rubbing her arm.

"Tonight at the campfire, then!" Matt cheered.

 **(Battle Cat)**

"Hey, Matt? Have you seen my ammo pouch?" Lance asked from the far side of the campsite.

Matt glanced around in surprise, "You lost your explosives?"

"I swear it was right here," Lance grumbled as he scowled down at the pile of clothes he'd left in a heap the night before.

Natalie snorted, "Well maybe you shouldn't leave your valuable stuff sitting out unprotected all night long?"

Anna arched a brow, "So there's a thief running around with Lance's boom-bringers?"

There was dead silence between the four as the ranger's statement sank in: there was a thief running around with high-level explosives and deadly poisons. But before any of them could actually panic about that fact, NoLegs suddenly appeared, wearing Lance's Army Hat, a miniature bandolier of bullets, the missing ammo pouch, and he had a tiny rifle floating to one side, and a tankard on the other. There was no way the cat could see, as the oversized helmet was covering his face all the way down to his mouth. The four humans gaped at him, and the way he was swaying slightly as he sat there. Anna's eyes narrowed as she smelled a distinct scent drifting through the air.

"Damnit, furball, give me my stuff back," Lance snapped, stomping forwards.

NoLegs gave a slurring meow, which Natalie translated through a laugh as, " _Hasta la vista, baby._ " A split second later, and all laughter vanished when the cat opened fire. The recoil sent bullets flying everywhere, and the team scattering with yelps to take cover behind trees and rocks.

"What the hell, NoLegs?!" Matt shouted.

"I smelled it: He's on the 'nip!" Anna cried.

Natalie groaned, "Not again! He always does something stupid when he's had cat nip…"

Lance growled and snapped, "Well he's picked the wrong person to steal from this time. I'm making a hat out of that damn cat."

The gunner loaded a bullet into his gunblade, ignoring his friends' protests. He ducked around the tree, took aim, and promptly threw himself back into cover before firing when a bomb was lobbed in his direction. The explosive fell short, but it still sent chunks of dirt and rock flying all over. Before the dust could settle, Lance ducked back out, but his weapon was shot out of his grasp by a bullet. Whether that shot had been by luck or skill didn't matter: the gunner had been disarmed, and was forced back behind cover.

"Pinned down by a furball," Lance grumbled. "I'll never live this humiliation down."

Anna gave a tense chuckle and said, "Maybe we should let NoLegs fight with a gun more often since he's so good at it." She winced as another explosion rocked the ground.

"That won't be an option, because I'm gonna kill him."

"At least he isn't advancing," Matt noted. He dared to poke his head around the tree, but soon pulled back with a yelp as a bullet whizzed past. "…But his accuracy is improving."

"His high shouldn't last too much longer," Natalie mentioned as she flinched from a hail of bullets hitting the tree she was hidden behind.

And sure enough, the bullets and explosions died. NoLegs gave a woozy sounding meow, and Natalie cautiously peered out to see the cat had slumped over, and was sleeping. "It's safe now," she announced, stepping around the tree.

Matt immediately darted over to restrain Lance, who had begun storming towards the cat with a look of murder in his eyes. "No killing my pet," he warned.

"Your _pet_ just nearly killed all of us!"

Anna rolled her eyes, "If we went by that logic, then all of us would have to kill each other. Matt stabbed at Natz when they first met, you shot both of them, and I shot Matt."

Lance opened his mouth to argue that point, but said nothing after he considered her statement. He blew out an aggravated sigh, and nodded. As soon as Matt released him, he strode over to the cat, snatched up his ammo pouch and hat, and kicked the cat for good measure. NoLegs woke with a hiss, and stared up at Lance in baffled confusion. He glanced around at the war-torn clearing, smoke craters and bullet holes everywhere, before shrugging and vanishing.

"Not even an apology," Lance grumbled as he began picking up anything salvageable.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _I hope that at least one of these made you laugh! So Battle Cat was requested by_ **FierceDeityMask** _and Guest reviewer,_ **Little Follower** _. Valkyrie tank was requested/inspired by_ **Florarena Kitasatina** _. Leave me some reviews, please!_


	20. Fire

***Edit 9/26/2016*** Oof, those typos. Clearly, I should have edited better. Let me know if any of you spot more in the story!

 **Title:** Fire  
 **Genre:** Miscellaneous  
 **Rating:** T **  
Warnings:** Mild Language

* * *

The team slept peacefully in their beds at the inn. Lance and Matt slept in one bed; Lance curled on one edge while Matt was stretched over the remaining space. Natalie and Anna slept with their backs to each other and their hair in their faces. All of them had peaceful expressions on their faces as they slept. They were oblivious, for the moment, to the ominous cloud of smoke seeping under their door.

And then a scream rang out through the inn, " _Fire!_ "

Instantly, Lance and Anna shot up, already groping for their weapons. Normally, a loud noise meant they were under attack. But Anna soon caught onto their danger as she smelled the distinct scent of smoke. The ranger immediately began shaking Natalie and calling that they needed to go. Lance caught on swiftly and shoved Matt clean off the bed, causing the swordsman to shoot too his feet with his sword in hand.

"Not now, Matt," Anna snapped as she ushered a dazed Natalie to the door of their room. "The inn's on fire."

Those words jolted the two half-awake people to full alertness and they all swiftly filed out of the room and into the hall that was filled with smoke. They covered their mouths and noses with their shirts as they followed the mass of people swarming out of the rooms down the stairs and out the door. Lance mentally disparaged the unorganized and ineffective mess that wasted precious time. But soon, the team stood in the street outside of the inn with a crowd of people, staring at the bright flames that licked the building's wooden walls. Smoke billowed up from the conflagration, rising high into the night sky, and catching the light of the flames in an eerie, hellish way.

Suddenly, a voice cried out, and arms began pointing to the second floor of the inn. A young girl could be seen desperately banging on a window, silhouetted by fire, trapped in the burning inn. Matt's eyes widened, and he immediately shot forwards, shoving his way through the distressed crowd, heading back for the burning inn. He ignored the shouts of his name from his friends as he broke free of the mob and sprinted for the building.

"Matt, don't you fucking dare," Lance bellowed, desperately shouldering his way after Matt.

The gunner broke free of the crowd just as Matt vanished into the burning building. He snarled and charged forwards, only to skid to a stop to stare in horror as a support beam collapsed across the inn door. He numbly stared at the now-blazing entrance as Natalie and Anna came up beside him.

"He… Matt'll be fine, right?" Anna asked fearfully.

Lance said nothing, but Natalie swallowed and murmured, "He can always force a new way out."

 **OOOOOO**

Matt spun around when he heard a crash from behind him, and dove forwards to dodge flaming planks that fell down with the support. He grimly turned from the former entrance, knowing there was only one way to go now. The main room of the inn was unbearably hot as he dashed through it, bent double; he could feel his skin prickle uncomfortably at the high temperatures, and flung up a temper on himself, hoping the magical aura would grant some minor protection. Smoke hung in a thick veil over the top half of the room, and flaming debris burned here and there from fallen chunks of the ceiling and destroyed tables.

Matt made it to the stairs, and found they were mostly destroyed by the fire. Still, he lunged up them, leaping from support to groaning support, and never staying in one place for more than a split second. He heard an ominous cracking groan over the roar of the fire as something vital to the building's structure protested the loss of supports it suffered. He ignored it as best as he was able and made it to the second floor.

The smoke was even thicker up higher, and Matt was forced to continue on his hands and knees. He coughed heavily as his throat and lungs burned and ached at the smoke and heated air running through them. He paused for a brief moment to tear a chunk of cloth from his shirt to press over his mouth and nose, and pressed onwards on one hand and a knee. He had the location of the trapped child fixed in his mind, and knew she was just a little to the left side of the entrance of the inn.

Matt reached the first of the possible rooms and reached up to grab the knob, only to jerk his hand back when he suffered a severe burn from the hot metal. Matt hissed from the sharp pain, but didn't give up. He settled back in a crouch and lunged forwards, slamming his shoulder into the door, and sending it inwards with a splintering crash. Flames rushed out at him, but couldn't set him ablaze with the protection of his Temper aura. Matt swiftly scanned the room, but knew immediately that it wasn't the right one: the window was too small.

The swordsman scampered out into the hall, wheezing and coughing, and beginning to feel dizzy from lack of air. He knew he likely only had one more chance with the rooms to find the trapped girl before he'd either be forced to bail, or asphyxiate from the smoke. He slammed the next door down, and rolled into the room to see a collapsed form by the window. Flames engulfed the bed, and had spread along the walls, but where the child lay remained free of fire.

Matt lunged forwards on trembling hands and knees, abandoning his smoke shield and ignoring the sharp jolts of agony from his burned hand. He gathered the unconscious and hopefully not dead child into his arms, and promptly lunged to the side on instinct. A beam dropped through the patch of floor he'd just been kneeling on, and the inn gave another loud groan. The swordsman figured that he had maybe moments to get out before the place collapsed. That left no time to try braving his way back downstairs—which was almost certainly completely covered in fire—and he didn't think he had the strength left to force his way through the wall. There was only one option left.

Matt turned his streaming and stinging eyes to the window that the child he now cradled had been beating on before. He took as deep of a breath as possible, stood up, and flung himself at the window, curling protectively around the girl in his arms. He felt broken glass slice into his skin coupled with a rush of blissfully cool air. He dropped through the air to the ground, landing on his back with a pained grunt. A second later, and he scrambled upright to sprint away from the inn—ignoring his streaming wounds—as a loud crack rang through the air and the building finally collapsed.

The swordsman made it all of ten steps before his body gave out on him. He dropped to his knees, and then his side, skidding a short distance from momentum, and promptly passed out. He missed his friends racing towards him with cries of his name, he didn't hear them asking if he was okay, and he didn't feel as Natalie's healing magic coursed through him. The young girl in his arms was pulled away by Lance, and promptly given a powerful healing spell as well; she'd suffered major burns and damage from smoke inhalation, but she was alive.

"Gods, can I kill him?" Lance asked in a shaky voice as he hauled Matt up over his shoulders. The swordsman was covered in ash and would probably need a haircut, but he was alive and well.

Anna gave a hysteric-sounding laugh and added, "Can I help?" She had the unconscious girl Matt had risked his life to save cradled in her arms. She glanced down at the child and mused that they should find her parents.

Natalie was about to reply to them, but was cut off by a scream.

"Carrie!" a woman shouted as she ran towards them with tears streaming down her face. She stopped in front of Anna and snatched the girl from the ranger's arms and fell to her knees, sobbing.

"She'll be fine, ma'am," Natalie assured the woman. "She should wake up in a few minutes."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," the woman breathlessly repeated between kisses to the sleeping girl's sooty forehead.

Lance felt Matt twitch and set the swordsman down as he said, "You should be thanking this crazy idiot, not us."

"'M not crazy," Matt mumbled hoarsely. He swallowed a few times, trying to wet his parched throat, and added in a raspy voice, "I just might be thirsty, though."

Anna promptly held out her canteen for Matt to take, who gulped it down with relief. The swordsman let out a long sigh of relief and flopped back down with his eyes closed, letting out another sigh. He cracked one eye open when he heard another thanks from the mother of the girl he'd saved.

"So she made it?" Matt asked tiredly, "That's good."

"Yes, thanks to you," the woman replied fervently. "I can never thank you enough. I thought she was with me when I left, but when I turned around, she was gone. She must've gotten separated and headed back to our room."

Matt nodded slightly, "Probably. I'm glad she's okay. I'll bet Natz hit her with some healing, so she'll definitely recover. You should go take her to rest somewhere."

The woman nodded and stood up, "Of course. Thank you again."

Lance waited until the woman was gone before giving Matt a sharp kick in the side. "Are you _insane_ , going back into a burning building to rescue a child you've never met before who could very easily have died before you got to her?" he ranted. "What if you had gotten trapped under some falling debris, or passed out from inhaling too much smoke, or… or…"

Matt rubbed his now sore side with one hand and cut in flatly, "Burning alive is a very nasty way to go, Lance. I've seen and heard it before, and I never want to see or hear it again. I'd do exactly what I just did a hundred times if I could save someone from that fate. Besides, I got out just fine, Natz healed me and the kid up, and I'm definitely going to get you back for that kick." He let out a yawn and mumbled, "After a shower and a nap. Where are we staying now, since our room went up in smoke?"

Lance's fear-driven anger had abated some as he said, "That was the only inn in town, so I guess we'll have to either hope someone's willing to room us, or camp out."

Matt groaned, "That sucks." He finally rolled to his feet and muttered, "Let's go. The sooner we get started looking, the sooner I can sleep."

Natalie fell in step beside Matt and quietly said, "You did really well, Matt. I'd prefer if you'd not scare years off my life with that kind of stunt, but you saved an innocent child from an awful death. I'm proud of you."

Matt grunted, "Now if only Lance acted like you do." He considered that thought for a moment and then shuddered, "Never mind; that would just be creepy."

Anna, who'd been listening in, laughed, "Creepy doesn't cover it."

Lance snorted, but grudgingly admitted, "I'm glad you and the twerp got out alive. Please at least warn us before charging into a burning building, though."

"Excuse me," a man suddenly asked as the team skirted the edge of the crowd.

Anna glanced over to see the inn owner, and paused. "Yes?"

"We're working on accommodations for the guests, and several people have volunteered to let you borrow their homes for the night after that incredible rescue," the man said.

Matt grinned, "Point the way."

Soon, the four were situated on a bed, a trundle, and a couple of air mattresses in the sizeable guest room of a wealthy resident's home. Matt's hair was damp from his shower, and he sat still while Natalie worked to straighten out the uneven mess, as several chunks of hair had been burned short by the fire.

Eventually, the mage finished, leaving Matt with his hair just below his shoulders where it had once fallen almost all the way down his back. The swordsman shook his head to knock the cut bits loose and helped Natalie sweep up the trimmed off pieces. He paused as he caught his reflection in the mirror of the vanity table and cocked his head.

"Been awhile since I've had hair this short," Matt commented, "Feels and looks kinda weird."

"It'll grow back," Anna comforted.

Matt nodded, "I know, but I can't braid it like this. I guess I'll have to return to tying it back."

"Is that how you kept it out of your face before?" Natalie asked as she deposited the trimmings in the waste basket.

"You should just hack it all off; way easier to maintain," Lance suggested from where he was flopped on an air mattress.

"I hate getting haircuts all the time, and my hair grows fast," Matt replied. He glanced over at Natalie and added, "And, yes, I keep it in a low pony tail."

Natalie nodded, but soon pushed Matt to lie down on the bed, "Get some rest, Matt. You've earned it."

The swordsman made no protest, but dropped onto the bed and pulled the sheets up to his chin. He was asleep in moments, exhausted from his rescue mission. The others also curled up, thankful that the crisis earlier had turned out well. Soon, they were all fast asleep.

The next morning saw a young visitor at the door of the house the team had stayed at for the night. The team was just getting ready to leave, and thanking their hostess for the beds and breakfast, when a knock came at the door. The team stood aside as the woman who'd roomed them opened the door to see the young girl Matt had rescued standing outside with her mother holding her hand. Matt blinked in surprise as the girl held out a small pouch and an obviously hand-made card.

"Thank you," Matt mumbled with and self-conscious blush as he accepted the gift. He opened the card to see a drawing of a small stick-figure girl labeled _Carrie_ holding hands with a tall man with blond hair, whom he assumed was him, labeled _my hero_ standing on a green hill. The picture was colorful and adorable with the words "Thank you for saving me" written at the top in pink crayon. Several of the letters were backwards, and the writing was wiggly, but Matt smiled.

"You're very welcome," Matt told the girl. "It's very nicely done."

Carrie grinned, showing she was missing one of her front teeth and squeaked, "I drew it myself!"

Her mother smiled down at her, "She's been asking questions about you non-stop since she woke up." The woman's eyes rose to meet Matt as she added, "The pouch is all the gold I can spare right now. It's not nearly enough to repay you for your rescue last night, but I'll remember your actions saved my little girl for the rest of my life."

Matt held the pouch out to the woman, "Thanks for the kind gesture, but I'm insisting you take it back; spend it on something for Carrie."

"Can we get chocolate?" the little girl begged, tugging on her mother's arm. " _Please?_ "

The woman looked about to protest, but she stopped when Matt shook the bag once, still holding it out for her. Finally, she smiled and accepted the bag with a small nod. "Okay, then thank you. As far as I and my daughter are concerned, you are the best hero we've ever met or heard of. May the gods always watch over you."

"When we're not beating them up," Lance muttered from behind Matt, too low to be heard.

"Bye-bye, mister!" Carrie chirped as her mother started leading her away. The next thing she directed to her mother as they walked down the street, uncaring of being overheard, "I want to marry him someday!"

Matt flushed as his friends burst out in laughter at the girl's innocent exclamation. He mumbled something unintelligible, and shot out the door, leaving them to catch up. Still, despite his embarrassment, he was smiling. It always felt good to be thanked—however unnecessarily he thought it was—for doing the right thing. His hand slipped the card he'd gotten into his Adventure Pouch, and he fondly decided he'd keep it for the rest of his life.

"Ready to go kill some monsters?" Matt asked his friends as they finally caught up to him at the edge of the town. His cheeks were still a little pink, but he was grinning again.

The others grinned and let out a round of affirmation. And they set off once more, ready for more adventures.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _I've had this one in my files for a while, now; finished prettying it up a bit to put up for you all. Yet another stereotypical situation, but it was fun to write. :3  
_

 _I've got three tests this week, so writing definitely isn't a go until the weekend. But here's the status on my other works:_

The Epic Tales _has another drabble-chapter coming up pretty soon with some requested ideas as well as a few other things I've found lying around._

Shadow of the Blight _should be updated relatively soon. I just need to get in intro for the chapter done and then I'll be slapping it up there for you guys. It'll be a pretty long chapter, too._

Retribution _is all planned out in my head; I just need to quit being lazy and write it out. :P_

The Long Road Home _'s next chapter is only partially planned, so it'll probably be a while for that one. Although I have the intro set in my head, so that's the hard part of the writing battle, so it shouldn't take too long once I sit down and start._

 _As for the other collection story,_ Another Epic Collection _, I have hundreds of things for that, so you'll be seeing plenty there in the days to come. For those of you reading that one, would you rather see some combat-focused things (meaning detailed, one man/woman slaughters with some rather chilling depictions and/or dialogue), or more of my unfinished, in-the-works stories?_

 _Once these upcoming tests at college are out of the way, I'll try to sit down and finish chapters for my major works. See you soon!_

 ** _Response to Guests reviewer, Anonymous:_** _I'll think about it, but it isn't in my plans. There is a story over on Archive of Our Own called_ **Forsaken** _by_ _ **Abaresque**_ _that is doing something like that, though I'm not sure how focused it is on the actual story of_ Brawl Royal; _at the very least, it's set in the world of_ Brawl Royale. _Regardless, it's been an excellent read so far, and I highly recommend it, so go check it out! Also, to the best of my recollected knowledge, Natz it is the one person/creature Matt doesn't kill in Brawl Royale. He stabs a Holy Sword between her legs (into the ground, not the… other… thing), and she crawls away. I may merely be remembering that wrong, though; it's been quite a while since I've played_ Brawl Royale _._


	21. Haunted House

**Title:** Haunted House  
 **Genre:** Horror/humor  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Warnings** : Mild Blood, mild language.

* * *

"Oo, I have a good one about this house!" Anna cheerfully exclaimed. "Did you know this place is haunted?"

Matt and Natalie each paled at the announcement, both thinking of the last time Anna had told a ghost story.

"Um, maybe Lance should start," Matt weakly tried.

"What, are you still scared of my last story?" Anna teased.

"Yes," Natalie replied, bluntly.

"Bunch of wimps—all of you," Anna huffed.

Lance scowled, "Hey, don't include me in that. I don't care if you tell another stupid story. The last one wasn't even that bad."

"Says the guy who was certain he was turning into a tree," Matt muttered. He shook his head, decisively and said, "Anna's too good. She's not allowed to tell ghost stories, anymore."

Anna rolled her eyes, and opened her mouth to begin telling her story, anyway, speaking over their protests. "Once upon a time, a young man moved his family into a small house in the middle of Ashwood. He was a hunter, and had always loved being surrounded by the trees."

"Sounds like a little girl we all know," Lance chuckled.

Anna flung a small branch from the kindling pile at him and kept talking. "The man had a wife, and a single daughter, only six years old, both of whom he loved very much. They were a happy family, and loved their small cottage."

"But then they all mysteriously died, the end." Natalie tried. Her skin was already prickling, and she did not want to hear the rest of Anna's tale.

"Probably got mauled by bears," Lance grunted as he reached behind him for a log to throw on the fire. He glanced back when his hand missed the stack, and he blinked in confusion when he saw the pile was a little further than he'd expected, but shrugged and leaned to get a knobby branch to toss on the flames.

"Guys, I never interrupt your stories, even if it's the fifth time I'm hearing the drunken retelling of our fight against Godcat, but you guys always interrupt mine," Anna complained, crossing her arms over her chest. "Is it too much to ask for the same courtesy I give you?"

Matt sighed in resignation and waved the beer can he had clutched in one hand. "Go ahead. We'll be quiet. Lance, you might as well get the pillow to catch Natz now."

"Har, har," Natalie muttered as she rubbed her arms, trying to alleviate the prickling feeling she was getting.

"Anyway, the family had been living in their new home for almost one whole year in peaceful happiness. But it all changed midway through the fall. It was the day of the fall harvest in Greenwood, and the husband headed off to purchase some fresh vegetables for dinner. He left behind his wife and daughter to bake some sweetcakes for desert, promising to bring back enough food for a small feast. He kissed their cheeks and left the cottage with his bow over his shoulder."

"Never to be seen again," Lance dramatically whispered under his breath to Matt. He smirked at the snort Matt gave.

Anna shot them a warning glare before being distracted by a flicker of movement in the doorway leading to the abandoned kitchen past him. Instantly, her bow was in her hand with an arrow on the string. Her sudden movement had the others tensing, and they twisted to look behind Lance, but saw nothing. After a few moments, Lance scowled and turned back to glare at Anna.

"I can't believe we all fell for that," he grumbled.

Anna ignored him in favor of standing up to pad over to the kitchen. "I know I saw something…" But the room was empty aside from cobwebs and an old kitchen table with three chairs. She scanned the room once more, but seeing nothing, she lowered her weapon and relaxed. "Must be making myself jumpy, too," she murmured to herself before turning back to settle back in her place by the fire. She ignored Lance's impatient look and Matt's and Natalie's frowns. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes, the man had just left. So you're probably expecting that he vanished into the woods, right? But he made it to the village just fine. The man at the food court sold him the vegetables, and saw him in his way."

"So can he back up this story?" Lance snorted.

Anna shrugged, "Sure, but he doesn't like to talk about it. Nearly no one in Greenwood does. We actually typically avoid this house entirely, and so does everything else."

"Didn't seem to bug _you_ very much to come in here," Matt pointed out in a mild tone.

Anna shot him a wry smile, "It does, actually. But we needed a place to stay since you dropped our tent in the river and it's still drying. And we wouldn't want Lance to turn into a tree on our way to Greenwood in the dark. So here we are in a bona fide haunted house. Lana would say we're a bunch of brash nimrods who should've toughed out the cold, though."

"I'll bite," Natalie sighed. "What made the place haunted?"

"An hour after the man left, his daughter showed up in the village, alone," Anna replied in a somber voice. She was badly wounded—bitten by a wolfdog, we think. We don't know how she got to the village alone, or why; Lana immediately began trying to heal her, but the girl had already lost too much blood, and died. Immediately, a couple of rangers set off to inform her parents to bring them back here, but when they got here, the mother was already dead, and the father was nowhere to be found."

"How'd she die?" Matt asked in a hushed voice.

Anna's reply was cut off by a thud from upstairs. The four fell silent, staring up at the ceiling with wide eyes. The temperature of the room dropped by several degrees and a few pieces of loose debris skittered across the floor. They each held their breaths when they heard a child's laugh echo down the stairs, followed by footsteps rapidly thudding down, but no one could be seen. The fire flickered and nearly went out as Lance leapt to his feet with a curse followed by the other three. The front door abruptly swung open and slammed shut. Everything fell silent once more.

"See? Haunted," Anna whispered in a shaky voice after a few moments.

The others didn't respond. A scream suddenly pierced the silence, causing Matt, Lance, and Natalie all to leap a foot into the air in shock, each. Anna didn't jump, though she looked shaken. The fire returned to its former size and its crackle filled the room.

"That'll be it for the night," Anna told the others in a murmur, sinking back down. "Everyone who comes here after sunset gets exactly that, and it only happens once per visit."

"What the hell?" Lance whispered. "I thought ghosts were just a myth…"

"Maybe we should go?" Natalie whimpered, clinging to Matt's arm. She could feel Matt shaking.

Anna was already calming, and shook her head. "I promise that's all from the supernatural for the night. I've been here several times and nothing else ever happens beyond what we've already seen."

"You came _back_ after seeing that?" Matt weakly asked as he sank back down, dragging Natalie with him. He wordlessly offered her a hug as she whimpered again.

"Yeah. I spent a month or so trying to figure out what actually happened here, and trying to… pacify whatever ghosts are still haunting this place. My nerves finally ran out before I got anywhere significant, though. Things move around while you're in here, you get that same ghostly replay every night, and sometimes the whole place shakes."

Lance finally sat down as well and asked, "So, how did the mother die? Wolfdog pack?" He was obviously trying to find something else to focus on besides the haunting incident they'd just witnessed.

"Something mauled the mother, yes, but I doubt it was a wolf dog, or even a pack. The rangers found her in her bed, blood everywhere, but no prints or tracks of any kind. They brought her back and buried her in Greenwood beside her daughter. They tried to track the father, but there had been a dry spell, and they couldn't find his tracks. They left a note explaining everything they knew and to tell him to come to the village if he saw the message, but he was never seen again. And to this day, we have no idea what happened to her or the father." Anna swallowed with a shiver, glancing about the room, and muttered, "I forgot how creepy this place is; I wouldn't have set foot in here if I'd remembered."

"Were you one of the rangers who investigated?" Matt asked, his eyes nervously darting about.

"No, I was only four at the time," Anna replied. "By the time I came out here at sixteen, there wasn't much more to discover. The bloodstains are still in the wood, but there wasn't any sign of a struggle, none of the doors looked like they'd been forced, and there's nothing to indicate what killed her."

Natalie finally spoke up since suggesting they should leave. "I knew this place didn't feel right. Can… can we please risk trying to get to Greenwood? Or at least deal with a miserable night in the cold?"

"Doesn't feel right?" Lance asked, sharply. "What do you mean?"

Natalie glanced up the stairs as she said, "I've been feeling like I'm being watched ever since I set foot inside, and my mana is making my skin prickle—even before Anna mentioned that the place is haunted. I don't think we should be here. I don't think _anyone_ should be here."

Anna hesitated before nodding. She stood and snagged a partially burning branch from the fire and gestured for them to gather their gear. "Alright, I think I can get us all to Greenwood, safely. Just stick close, and hold hands. If anything starts feeling funny, say so _immediately_ ; I've only got about ten seconds to stop your transformation once it starts."

"On second thought, maybe we should camp in the yard," Lance suggested uneasily. He recalled Anna's last horror story, and the truth behind it. He vowed to never let her tell any stories of any kind, ever again. He would go through life feeling a lot happier if he didn't hear any more horror-stories-turned-truth.

"With all the beasts of Greenwood and a ghost running around? No thanks," Matt snorted.

The team filed out of the house, and flinched as the door slammed shut behind them of its own accord. Matt just barely snagged Natalie's wrist as the mage tried to bolt, and hauled her back with a scolding mutter. Anna held her hand out for Lance to take, who in turn grabbed Matt's, who kept Natalie tucked close. The ranger started a fast walk towards Greenwood, knowing the path by heart, even in the dark, and wary of their single flickering torch. They had to get to the protected part of Ashwood before it burned out, she knew, or her friends would likely turn into trees. She would be fine, because she was never lost in Ashwood, but the same wasn't true for the other three.

They orange glow from the fire cast eerie, flickering shadows on the ground from various bushes and trees. A crisp breeze set the dry leaves rustling overhead, and fallen ones crunched underfoot. An owl hooted somewhere in the forest, and they occasionally saw a pair of eyes in the brush reflecting the firelight before the creature the eyes belonged to vanished. Anna bit her lip as the branch burned lower, drawing uncomfortably close to her skin—close enough to begin to scald her. But then they stepped over a stream, and she visibly relaxed and dropped her branch in the water in favor of casting a light spell.

"We're safe, now," she announced, drawing her hand out of Lance's and wiping the sweat that had gathered on her palm off on her dress.

The other three let out matching sighs, and Matt flushed as he realized how he'd been holding Natalie. He let go with an awkward, mumbled apology, missing Natalie's disappointed pout. Anna turned to lead again, and they each followed, though they couldn't resist glancing back at the way they'd come. Each of them felt the blood drain from their faces at the sight of a faintly glowing, translucent girl who couldn't be older than five or six standing on the other side of the stream, staring at them. She let out an echoing giggle, waved, and then vanished. The team bolted, heading directly for Greenwood. None of them stopped running until they reached Anna's house, and darted inside to slump down on various surfaces.

For a few minutes, they all simply panted with racing hearts.

"We all saw that, right?" Matt finally rasped.

"Uh, huh," Natalie gulped.

"Please tell me she's not going to haunt us all night," Lance pleaded.

Anna shook her head, "I doubt it. She didn't cross the stream. Mighty Oak's protection must not allow her into Greenwood."

"Good," Natalie sighed. "No more ghost stories based on truth. Ever."

"I can second that," Lance added.

"Same here."

"Fine, no more true ghost stories," Anna sighed. She perked up and added, "Oh, but I know a good one about a giant spider! Want to hear it?"

"No!" the other three all yelped.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Happy Halloween! Sorry it came out so late; I was in work and class all day. :P_

 _I swear the next chapters are coming for my other works. Things have been slowed because I bought Witcher 3, and it's absorbing my life/free time. XD It is, however, giving me tons of ideas to add to my works, so that's good. Retribution has been pushed back because I've decided to combine the next couple of chapters in an attempt to get the story done faster by not giving myself the opportunity to procrastinate another several months between chapters, so next one will be a long one with only the epilogue after it. :P_

 _Responses to Guest reviewers:_

 ** _Little Follower:_** _Yup, Matt is just mumbling there. Outline for the future kinda fell apart due to new games in my house, but not too badly. Yup, Lance has no time or patience for Matt's laziness. XD_

 _I name stories as a one or two word description of what's going on in it. I just thought it makes finding the oneshot you actually want to read a little easier. If I were to make it a full story, I'd give it a much better name, obviously. :P_

 _Don't worry, I don't really believe in there being only one way to do anything, within reason. And everyone has their preferences for writing. Mine just isn't FPPoV._

 _Character interactions, as I've said before, are mah fave—especially banter, which Lance gets out the most. Yeah… magic ruins all good plots. :P I usually have Anna using water magic in my stories, just because, but I turned a blind eye on that option because it ruins the effect of the story._


	22. Dual-Wielding

**Title:** Dual-Wielding  
 **Genre:** Action/General  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Warnings:** Blood, Language  
 **Summary:** Matt displays a different style of fighting  
 **Prompt from:** The Mighty Gyarapie (Though you've already seen it)

* * *

Lance was down on one knee, his shoulders heaving from exertion. He wiped a shaking hand across his mouth and didn't need to look at it to know he'd wiped away blood. Still, he struggled to regain his feet, knowing that Natalie and Anna were just as tired. Matt was crumpled against the wall among several pieces of cracked stone from when he'd been flung there. The ancient warrior they fought still stood strong, currently doing his best to take out Anna, who fluidly dodged and deflected the sword swings. Still, Lance knew she was growing tired, and would make a fatal mistake before too long.

Sweat streamed down Anna's face in rivulets as she caught another staggering blow with her crossed daggers. She twisted, and flipped over the swing that pulled out and swept at her with alarming speed. And then, an armoured boot caught her stomach midair and she was sent through the air, coming to a skidding halt on the ground. She twisted away from another stab, and rolled to her feet as a crackle of lighting arced from across the field where Natalie stood, using the wall as support to keep her weight off her injured leg.

Natalie cursed as the magic she'd send out was caught on the blade of the warrior's sword and directed back at her, but she merely reabsorbed the mana. Blood ran in a thick stream down her leg from a long, but shallow slice she had yet to heal. Her eyes drifted to where Matt was slumped against the wall, and she knew they needed him back up. He had been the only one who'd been able to even scratch the warrior, and as such had been taken out quickly. While Lance moved to tag team the warrior with Anna, Natalie began trying to focus on her healing magic once again. A warning shout from Lance had her jerking to the side as a dagger whizzed towards her, sinking into the stone where her head had been; her concentration was lost.

In a bewildering series of slashes, Lance was disarmed and flung aside, bleeding rather heavily from a gash on his ribs. Anna was flung next to him with a shriek of pain as the move snapped the bone of her upper arm. To their relief, the warrior turned from them, not bothering to finish them off. Their relief faded to horror, however, when they saw him heading towards where Natalie stood alone.

Lance immediately began trying to scramble up, blood running in a steady stream from his wound. His strength gave out, and he slumped back down with a low moan. Anna reached forwards with her good arm and placed her palm against the gash, and focused her own, short-range healing into the wound. But her mana was low, and while she could seal the wound, she couldn't restore Lance's energy. Tears welled in the ranger's eyes as she stared across at where Natalie stood watching her executioner approach.

Natalie knew it was over. Her magic would merely be reflected back at her, and she didn't have the skill or muscle for close range combat. Still, she kept her eyes defiantly fixed on the closed helm of the ancient warrior, refusing to show fear. The warrior seemed almost lazy in his approach, his gait was slow and his stance relaxed. He showed no signs of exhaustion, only confidence. And then, merely three feet from Natalie, a miracle occurred: Matt came whirling in from the side with his hair flying behind him as he attacked. Natalie's eyes widened in shock from seeing Matt coming to her rescue, and at his strange, new stance: he was dual-wielding two swords.

Matt brought down his weapons in an arcing sweep, Heaven's Gate grasped in his right hand, and Devil's Sunrise grasped in his left. His face was set in a snarl, made all the more terrifying by the blood staining it from a cut on his head, and his blue eyes gleamed with fury before he launched into a blur of motion. The warrior had caught his first attack with his blade, his own sword trembling under the strength behind Matt's dual sweep, and he brought a gauntleted fist up to brace the weapon.

But Matt was a whirlwind of swings. His weapons worked almost independently from each other, swinging in devastating attacks from opposite directions. He slashed them in crosses, and alternating levels and sweeps, a constant barrage of power. At one point, the warrior disarmed his left sword, but Matt's hand twisted to grasp the hilt backwards, and he continued his assault. Slowly, he began to force the warrior back, pressing him, and never letting up. His friends were stunned at the second wind and sheer ferocity of the attacks. None of them had ever seen Matt attempt to use two swords at once, but the new style was incredibly fast and effective. It also left little room for defense, however.

The warrior's blade flickered in and out, landing small blows on Matt's arms and legs. The swordsman didn't seem to notice the hits that landed, merely used the pain to fuel his assault. His own swords scored across the warrior's armour again and again, denting, scraping, and slicing. The onlookers' eyes narrowed as they realized that no blood flew from the warrior, despite the many instances when there should have been some. There was nothing inside the armour, they realized with a flash of stunned amazement.

Matt didn't notice, caught up in a berserker's battle fury. His own blood flew, but he showed no more signs of tiring than the moving armour before him. He was deaf to his friend's cries as his enemy's weapon sliced through his side and blood splashed out, and was numb to the pain of his wounds. The only way the battle would ever end would be when he or his enemy lay in pieces.

And then, that end came. The armour seemed to realize that Matt could not be taken down by normal means. It lunged forwards with a thrust, slipping past Matt's swords and slamming all the way to the crosspiece of the hilt in the swordsman's stomach. At the same moment, Matt brought his own swords down on the armour, shearing clean through the metal. The immense damage to the armour caused the rest of it to collapse with a ghostly shriek.

Matt stood panting over the remains, blood steadily dripping from his body, the long sword still sheathed in his torso. His eyes slowly cleared from their frenzied haze, and dulled. His blades fell from his grasp, clattering to the ground. The swordsman swayed in place for a moment before following his weapons down, landing in a pool of his own blood. He stared dully in front of him, his eyes glazed, vaguely aware of the panicked screams of his name. He felt no pain, already well past that point. He was, however, aware of the dull pounding of his heart in his ears. Feet appeared in his vision, splashing through the pool of his blood, and he felt a tug at his stomach before he was rolled over.

Natalie's eyes were filled with tears and her heart raced as she sprinted for where Matt was collapsed. He was still, too still, and she feared that maybe he'd already died. Certainly by the small ocean of blood surrounding him, and the weapon lodged in his body, he could have been. But the faintest flicker of his life-aura proved that he was hanging on by a thread. She slipped through the thick liquid on the ground and grasped the hilt of the weapon lodged in Matt's body. Already she was feeding healing magic into his collapsed form as she yanked back on the weapon and it slid free with a sickening sound.

Natalie was uncaring of the red staining her skin and clothes as she grasped Matt's shoulders and rolled him over. She knelt down and held her hands, fingers spread, over the horrendous wound in his torso. Matt's glazed and dull eyes stared at her without comprehension. His gaze was distant, detached almost, as his mind wandered from blood loss. Natalie gritted her teeth as felt him slipping as she worked to heal him.

"If you die, Matt, I swear I'll become a necromancer to bring you back to kill," Natalie desperately hissed. Whether her words had gotten through, or her healing had finally begun to take effect, she didn't know, but Matt's bloodless lips quirked in a faint smile.

"We wouldn't want that," the swordsman rasped. His face began to show the first realization of the immense pain he was in, and he moaned, "Oo, that doesn't feel good."

Natalie snorted and muttered, "No shit. You became shish kabob not five minutes ago." She didn't normally swear, but right now she was feeling very frayed both from nerves and exhaustion.

"How're Lance and Anna?" Matt asked after a short silence.

"Better than you, now shut up and let me work," Natalie said shortly.

Matt fell silent, surprised at Natalie's short temper. He had no inclination of how badly he'd scared her, or of just how much blood surrounded him. But as the feeling was restored to his limbs, deadened by the redirection of blood to his vitals, he became aware of a thick, sticky feeling. He rolled his head to the side, and blinked at the red staining the floor, his hair and his clothes. It took him several moments to realize that it was blood, and several moments more to realize that it was _his_ blood.

"Holy gods… How the hell am I alive?" Matt asked, forgetting that he was supposed to be keeping quiet. He turned his far more alert gaze up to Natalie's face and started when he realized she was crying. The sight was sobering as he figured she wasn't quite sure how he was either.

And then, just as Natalie felt that she was scraping the bottom of her mana pool. Matt's last wound was healed. The mage sat back and breathed a sigh of relief that was far closer to a sob as Matt sat up. The swordsman blanched at the thick liquid, and swiftly stood. He held a stained hand out to help Natalie up, and as soon as she was on her feet, he gathered his weapons as well as the one their foe had dropped. The swordsman's clothing was irreparably stained, and his hair was sticky and clumping from blood, but he was alive. They all were.

Lance was still out of it on the ground, but Anna watched with relief as Matt stood up. Now that they were out of danger, however, her broken arm decided to remind her of how much pain she was in. She'd healed Lance's wound, but lacked the ability to heal her own. And by Natalie's limp, still favoring her own wounded leg and leaning on her staff for support, the ranger realized the broken bone would have to wait. Clearly the mage had little to nothing left of her mana.

Matt and Natalie strode over to where Anna sat against the wall with Lance nearby. The gunner was alive, but pale. The ranger's arm was twisted strangely and her face was pale from pain, but she gave them a wan smile as they approached.

"Hey," Anna greeted through gritted teeth.

Natalie frowned at the ranger's broken arm and apologized, "We'll have to splint that. I won't be able to heal you for a couple of hours." She began digging for some bandages to do just that.

Matt eyed the arm and knelt down beside Anna. He swiftly set the bone, and apologized as Anna let out a low groan of pain at the movement. A couple of metal plates and a roll of bandages served as the bind for the break. The swordsman turned his eyes to Lance, trying to figure out what was wrong with him.

"I already healed his wound," Anna said tightly, fishing for her water with her good arm. "He had a slice on his side, but it's all good now." She flicked the cap in her canteen and sipped the cool liquid.

Natalie nodded, "Good. I guess we'll sit here for now until I can get everyone patched up."

"Good plan," Matt agreed, sitting down with a heavy sigh. He made a face at his uncomfortable clothing and the sensation of dried blood on his skin, but knew there was nothing for it at the moment. He'd have to wait until they were out of the ruins before he could wash. He tilted his head back to rest against the wall, and shut his eyes.

Anna suddenly spoke up, "That dual-wielding thing was amazing, Matt. I didn't realize you knew how to, though."

Matt cracked one eye open and replied, "I can fight just about any way with swords. That particular style is effective because it's fast, but there's not much you can do to defend. I can deflect attacks, and catch swings, but it's much more difficult. Most fighters who dual-wield can't do it as well as I can, though."

Natalie cocked her head and asked, "Why not?"

"Because I can move both of my arms independently from each other without accidentally taking one off, or losing my balance," Matt said with a wry smile. "I'm just as capable with both of my hands, and experienced as a fighter."

Anna nodded, "I see."

Matt suddenly yawned and mumbled, "I'm taking a nap. Wake me if there's trouble."

"Okay," Natalie agreed softly. She waited until Matt was asleep before shaking her head and murmuring, "Gods, we are so lucky he's on our side."

Anna chuckled, "Yup. I'd hate to have to actually fight him. I'm not sure we could beat him, anyway. We couldn't beat that walking armour, but he did it on his own."

Natalie nodded with a shrug, "True. I suppose he'd say he'd never have been able to do it if we weren't there to back him up, though. Or play decoy, in this case."

Anna didn't reply in words, but she did let out a sigh of agreement. She brought her good arm up to rub her shoulder in an attempt to alleviate the pain from her broke one. Still, she knew it would only be a short while before it was healed. And once everyone was healed and rested, they could move on. Treasure awaited.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** So funny story, I meant to have this up about a year ago. I wrote it, meant to post it, then forgot? I think? It's honestly been so long I don't remember when exactly I wrote it. Possibly before I even finished _ An Epic Retelling _. It's even filled with my British-isms! I was too lazy to go back and write them out, so please forgive me. XD_

 _Leave me a review, and I'll be back some time!_


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